It's Worth it
by TrueDespair
Summary: Sequel to 'Anything but simple' New Adventures, New problems and tons of celebrations in between. Will Yuui be able to handle all of the chaos and still be with the one he loves? Multiple pairings. -Ongoing-
1. Start of the season

Here it is~! The sequel to 'Anything But Simple'. I have rather hoped that i would have at least three chapters including this already written. But sadly, a few crossover stories have taken my time and plus my finger and everything. The updates on this will be a bit slow. I just have to figure out the top three stories that i need to work on. But it won't be a problem. ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>Warning: None<strong>

**Disclaimer: Don't own them; never will**

**Enjoy~!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue: Start of the season<strong>

* * *

><p>'<em>Another day; another reminder on how dreary the summer is so far without brother around.'<em> Yuui was calmly reading a novel while hunched over on his bedroom window. It was a very mild evening considering it was summer and all. The academy just started its summer break and like any other person, he was taking full advantage of it.

Of course he would be lying if he said that he was having a great time.

Just a few days before, he had gotten a postcard from his beloved yet annoying older brother, Fai. He and Kurogane who was now his brother-in-law (by which the cooking teacher would tease him about to no end) were just starting their honeymoon in Europe. They were to be gone for about a month or so depending if Yuuko needed them or not.

However to be truthful, Yuui suspected that Yuuko just missed the lovable couple and wanted to know every little detail of their trip and that includes a part that no one but her wanted to know.

What goes on in the bedroom _stays_ in the bedroom.

Nonetheless, Yuui got the postcard and as he read it he felt a mixture of both happiness and sadness. While it was very hard to admit it himself, he missed his older brother like crazy. However at the same time, he was glad that Fai was spending the rest of his life as a married man and with Kurogane no less.

Fai mentioned how the trip went so far, what the pair had seen what hotel they have been to and what kind of troubles they got themselves into. That part was written in Kurogane's hand-writing. At least he could count the gym teacher to tell him the bad if Fai would only tell him the good.

They really go hand-in-hand.

Yuui sighed as he looked up at the star-lit sky. The color was darkening to a deep blue while the moon that was over his house was half-full. He rubbed his eyes as he closed the book. "It's just the start of the summer break and I have nothing worthwhile to do. I guess Fai was right; telling me that I have no social life outside of the academy. Damn him."

It wasn't that Yuui was an antisocialist by any means; he just wasn't very good at making friends. It was the same thing when he was working in Italy. He met people and been friendly with them but he wouldn't call those people exactly friends. Acquaintances, yes but not friends. When he got to Japan, he thought he should open up a bit more and try to make some outside friends.

Though that plan went right out the window when Fai practically dragged him to any academy-related event.

Sighing again, Yuui closed his window and plopped onto his bed; letting out a small smile on how soft the mattress. Turning to lay on his back, he pondered on what he was going to do for the summer. "Well, I could just go around town or maybe take a short trip to a sauna or just start by finishing up paperwork for the new semester." _'And brother's also.' _He frowned.

Before he can make up his mind, his cell phone rang.

Looking over at the nightstand, he leaned over and lazily picked it up. He checked the caller ID to see who would be calling him. It was Syaoron, his younger and yet more mature boyfriend. A smile reached his lips. He then pressed the 'talk' button on his phone and placed it over his ear. "Hello? Yuui speaking."

"_Good evening, Yuui. How are you holding up?'_

Syaoron was the only one he actually talked to about him missing Fai when the two left for the honeymoon. He supposed that since they are together and such, he felt it to be natural to tell the boy rather than sulk for the first few days. Even though he never actually admitted of sulking. "I'm doing better. Brother sent me a postcard not long ago and he says that he's having a wonderful time."

Syaoron chuckled. _"Well that's good news. And I'm even happy that you're doing better. Being away from your twin can make you sad sometimes."_

"Considering that you were in Hong Kong while Syaoran was here, I can understand that too." Yuui then yawned. "Oh dear, it's not even 10pm and I'm feeling sleepy. I must be bored out of my mind." He then heard Syaoron making a noise of agreement.

"_I see. Well, maybe it's because you're not exactly used to the sudden change in routine. Even at the cruise last summer, you had a bit of trouble sleeping and waking up. It's normal, for your case anyway." _Then his voice became a bit far away before becoming clear again. _"On the topic, there's something I want to ask you."_

Blinking, Yuui slowly sat up and propped his back against the pillows. "Yes, what is it?"

"…_Do you have any plans for the next week?"_

"Well…." _'It's funny how things will turn out in your own favor.'_ Yuui mused. "Actually, I don't have any solid plans this coming week. In fact I don't have any plans at all." He then heard Syaoran's voice in the background and someone else's but it was so vague he couldn't tell. "Why do you ask?"

"_Well you see, my lil' bro and I were going somewhere and we're bringing some friends along. But the problem was we don't have adult with us because while we have someone to drive us there, that person's not an adult…yet. So I was wondering if you will be willing to come with us."_

"So let me get this straight…" Yuui started. "You and a group of friends are going somewhere and need an adult to go with you because wherever you're going might be…..not for minors." It didn't take a freaking genius to see where this was going. "Syaoron, if you wanted to invite me to go somewhere with you then all you have to do is ask." He inwardly smirked. "I'm surprised of you though, beating-around-the-bush method. Why? Afraid I say no~?"

Syaoran for a moment didn't say anything…then he laughed so loudly that Yuui had to look at the phone weirdly. Calming down, he chuckled a bit. _"Nothing gets pass you huh? I just wanted to ease the invite into the conversation since I honestly had no idea what your answer may have been. But that's good to hear."_

Lying on his stomach, Yuui smirked. "So now that's out of the way, why don't you tell me where you and your friends are really going?"

Then there was a small pause.

Then…

"_Since you really want to know….we're going to a beach house that Yuuko rented out for us! She had the place for awhile and since she can't go this year, she let us use it for the break….so how about it Yuui? You in?"_

Yuui then thought about it for a bit. On the one hand, he can be with others and will get distracted from worrying about his brother and such. On the other hand though, it might also mean having some alone time with Syaoron….and that's something he's not really emotionally ready for. But…he will admit…the invite to spend time not only on the beach but also with his boyfriend does sound tempting….

With a smile on his face, Yuui chuckled. "Considered me there."

That one simple phone call marked the beginning of a summer that he will never forget.

* * *

><p><strong>END<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.<strong>

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
><strong>


	2. On the road again: part one

Another chapter up~!

I know, a _whole month_ before another update. But don't worry, I'm splitting this chapter into two parts because i just _hate_ making people wait for _any_ chapter for _any_ of my stories. I just love you people too much to leave you hanging like that.

But don't worry. It wouldn't be another month for the next update. I'm trying as fast as I can. The idea's there, it's the writing that takes time. ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>Warning: Not much except language<strong>

**Disclaimer:don't own them; never will.  
><strong>

**Enjoy~! ^_^**

* * *

><p><strong>On the road again part one<strong>

* * *

><p>Yuui sighed for the hundredth time in the past five minutes. He felt his eyelids fluttering shut every few seconds before he snapped his eyes wide open. If one were to view this kind of behavior, they would say that he's lacking sleep….and they wouldn't be far from the truth. He glanced at his watch and groaned. Only twenty minutes to go. That would have sounded utterly ridiculous to most people as they have waited that long before from time to time.<p>

But most people don't wait outside their home at three in the morning.

When he got off the phone with Syaoran, his heart was filled with anticipation. It would be the first summer he'll be with his (younger yet mature) boyfriend. Of course their friends will be there also but that's beside the point.

When he called Fai about it via cell-phone, he had to hold out the phone far away from him as the loud and joyful cheering was heard on the other line. Then Kurogane took the cell-phone from his brother and told him 'that's great' in a more reasonable volume. He knew that the new-weds were worried about him; what with the cooking teacher almost having to spend the summer alone. He reassured them that he was fine and that if anything would wrong; Syaoron would be there for him.

That earned him a cat-call and an angry sigh in response _to_ the cat-call.

After the phone call, Yuui quickly went to his room and gather his belongings. He was told that the trip was starting the next morning and that someone would pick him up as this was a group vacation. However even with that fact in mind; it didn't cease the rapid beating of his heart.

Glancing at his watch, he sighed. Another ten minutes to go. He checked his cell-phone and search through his pictures to pass the time. He had taken some photos of the wedding and the party since he forgot to bring his own camera. He smiled at every single one; the wedding kiss, the food, the teen gang posing, the first dance of the newly-weds (with Kurogane in a Kimono, no less) and himself being covered in cake (that was taken by Kurogane who for some reason had it in his possession. The reason behind it was still unknown). However, while skimming his photo history, one particular picture stopped him in his tracks.

It was a picture of him and Syaoron dancing.

At first he was really confused and thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. But when he went back and forth between photos, it wasn't a trick. It really was a picture of the two of them dancing. As much as he was kind of glad that he had the picture, he couldn't help but think of the culprit who not only had his phone but took that picture at that time. It could have been Fai (the obvious culprit for anything) or maybe it was Sakura. Syaoran was less likely as Watanuki was. But he wouldn't put it pass him if Himawari or Doumeki was the culprit. It maybe it was the Mokonas; they _were_ Yuuko's evil minions after all.

Yuui rubbed his forehead. This was giving him a migraine. Nonetheless, the picture was there and he was grateful for it. He looked closely at the photo. However took it, had taken it when he and Syaoron were close…and blushing no less. A good angle and the lighting were perfect. Which was odd because it came from a cell phone of all things.

Still….it was a good picture of them. And a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

_*HONK* *HONK*_

Yuui snapped his head up and that there was an SUV parked right in front of his house. He raised an eyebrow; confused on who would be driving. He then got his answer when the window was rolled down. His eyes widened. "D-Doumeki? Is that really you?"

The person at the wheel nodded. "Hey Yuui-sensei."

Suddenly the door behind the stoic teen slammed open, revealing another teen and friend that the cooking teacher knew oh-so well. "Damn it Doumeki! I told you to call Yuui-sensei that we were on our way! Did you want to give him a heart-attack at three in the morning?"

The cooking teacher chuckled as he stood up. "Good morning, Watanuki."He smirked. "You look very lively considering it's so early."

The blue-eyed teen stopped his rant before smiling shyly at the blonde. "Oh um….well, I….yeah." He slightly blushed. "It's nice to see you again, Yuui-sensei."

"Likewise." Yuui smiled.

Watanuki got out of the car and made his way to the teacher. "Are you ready? Because Syaoran told us to pick you up first before we get to the others. We were going to ask you if we can call Kurogane-sensei to use his car but this idiot over here." He gestured to the waving stoic teen at the wheel. "Took this car from his parents even though I _told_ him that's illegal for people under eighteen to drive!"

Doumeki shrugged. "They said it was okay."

"That's beside the point!" Watanuki yelled out. "Do you realize how much trouble we're going to be if the police see you? You can get arrested and I'll be the one bailing your lazy butt out!"

"I don't think they'll notice." Yuui spoke up. "Besides, Doumeki's parents wouldn't let him take the car unless something else came up." He looked at Doumeki. "Am I right?"

The stoic teen nodded. "They said that as soon as we picked up everyone, I have to let you take over the driving."

Patting Watanuki's shoulder, Yuui smiled. "See? No harm done." He then picked up his stuff and walking pass the shocked teen. "So who's coming?" He shrugged. "Besides Syaoran and Syaoron, I mean."

"…Sakura's coming." Doumeki said. "Plus me, the moron—"

"I'M NOT A MORON—"

"You, Tomoyo and a couple of new people that Tomoyo invited." Doumeki finished in a calm tone.

"New people huh?" Yuui mused as he got his stuff in the car. "Do you know what their names are?"

Doumeki shook his head as both the teacher and Watanuki (who snapped out of his stupor and ran) got into the car. "Tomoyo didn't say anything else about them."

Snapping in the seatbelt, Watanuki glanced at his stoic boyfriend with curiosity. "It was odd that Tomoyo's coming though. She couldn't go with us to the cruise but she's coming with us this summer." He looked forward. "And I wonder who she's going to bring."

Doumeki nodded.

"Hopefully it's not someone we'll all be better without…like Seishiro." Yuui grimaced. "Or Ioryogi, Ginsei or anyone else that any one of us has encountered with."

The teens both nodded. Having someone like Seishiro or anyone like him would spell disaster.

With Yuui in the backseat and Watanuki in the passenger's seat, Doumeki started up the car and drove down the street, away from Yuui's home.

As Doumeki drove, Yuui's mind started to wonder. This summer would surely be different. To a different place with new people. It would be quite exciting in his own opinion; mostly because he can't wait to see Syaoron again. The very thought of that young man made his heart race a bit. Then a thought came to him. "Hey guys…isn't Himawari coming too?"

…

Watanuki hit his head against the dashboard as a wail escaped his lips.

Doumeki glanced over at his boyfriend for a few seconds before patting him on the back.

Yuui blinked. Guess that answered his question.

* * *

><p>"Hey Sakura!" Watanuki waved.<p>

The timid girl waved back before her stuff has ungracefully dropped into her arms. She glared at her older brother who (_maturely_) glared back. She stuck out her tongue before making her way for the car. She jumped as she heard the front door slam. She glanced sadly.

Yuui opened the car door with a smile. "Well good morning, Sakura."

The girl nodded. "Good morning Yuui-sensei, Watanuki, Doumeki." She nodded to the two teens.

Doumeki nodded back. "'Sup?"

The cooking teacher moved over as Sakura sat down next to him. He glanced at the student with a mix of concern and curiosity. "Is there something wrong?" He gave out a half-smile. "I know that I only met your older brother a couple of time but this is the first that I've seen him that angry."

Sakura sighed as she clenched her bag. "Nii-san's not that happy with me going somewhere with Syaoran." She looked out the window. "When he invited to go, I was so excited. I asked my grandma if I can go and she said yes, as long as there was an adult there. When I got another phone call saying that you'll be with us, I was so happy." She then frowned. "But when I told nii-san about it…he wasn't very approving of it; mostly because Syaoran's coming with us. And we ended up arguing."

Yuui nodded. "I see. So Touya's still angry because you're going with Syaoran on this trip." He leaned back in his seat. "I can understand that. As the older sibling, he still wants to protect you even though he won't admit it out loud. But you're capable of making your own decisions and he knew that but doesn't like it one bit."

The girl nodded as the car started to move. "I know Nii-san cares for me but sometimes I wish he can see Syaoran the way everyone else see him. He's not that bad and he would never hurt anyone. He's polite, kind, sweet and a brave person." A slight blush colored her cheeks. "I admire and respect him for that."

Smiling, Yuui gently patted the girl's head. "I wouldn't worry about your brother." He leaned on the door. "I bet anything he'll cool off and think about it for a while. And as for you," He tapped the girl's nose. "You shouldn't let that little tiff drag you down. You're on vacation and should make the best of it."

Letting the words sink in, Sakura smiled back. "I should. Thank you Yuui-sensei."

"Please Sakura, for the sake of the summer vacation, call me Yuui." The cooking teacher smiled. "That goes for the rest of you, okay?"

"Got it." Watanuki smiled.

"Hm." Doumeki agreed.

Yawning, Sakura felt her eyelids dropping.

"Go to sleep." Yuui said. "I'll wake you up when we're at the brothers' house." He chuckled a bit when the girl's head dropped onto his shoulder. He pulled out a blanket and draped it over her. "Sleep well." He then looked up to see two faces looking at him. "What?"

Watanuki shook his head. "Nothing."

Doumeki's lips twitched upwards before going back to indifference.

_Yuui-sensei will always be Yuui-sensei._

* * *

><p>Syaoron tapped his foot as he leaned back on the bedroom door. He watched with amusement as his younger brother was in a panic; trying to find his swim trunks. The room became a complete mess as a result and the older teen's smile couldn't have been wider at that fact. "Lil' bro, we're going to be late. Why don't you ask me to buy a pair of trunks on our way there?"His suggestion went unnoticed as a t-shirt landed on his face.<p>

"But Nii-san! I know that it's here somewhere!" Syaoran protested. "I just need to find it."

"You've been trying to find it for over twenty minutes." Syaoron pointed out as his younger brother let out a groan. "It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it. Besides, it's not the end of the world if you can't one piece of clothing."

Sighing, Syaoran sat on the floor; feeling very exhausted. "I know. But I like that pair. It was the one our mother gave to us the last time we came to visit her." He shook his head. "It made be a pair of swim trunks but it was a gift and it should be treasured that way."

"Oh, _those_ trunks." Syaoron nodded. He remembered that last time the two of them visited their mother back in Hong Kong. Syaoran had forgotten to bring his swimming trunks at the time so his mom went out of her way and got him a new pair. It was deep green swimming trunks with a white shadow of a wolf on it. His younger brother was very ecstatic when their mother gave it to him.

Normally, one would say 'why would anyone treasure a pair of trunks given by their mom? It's just a piece of clothing.'

If it was anyone else, Syaoron would agree. However this was about his family and his brother. And that pair was actually sewn by hand; made solely by their mother. And since he never got the time to spend with her (unlike himself), anything given by her was treasured greatly and with gratitude.

Something that the older twin had never experienced since _he_ got to spend time with her.

Sighing, Syaoron got over to his twin and sat next to him. He placed a hand on top of Syaoran's head. "I'm sure mom would be happy to see that you value those trunks. It's a bit weird in my opinion but hey, you wouldn't be you if you _didn't_ value them."

Looking at his twin, Syaoran chuckled as he and Syaoron shared a hug. "Yeah….and I'm sorry that you didn't get to spend time with dad. I know how much you wanted to talk to him every time we visited."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Syaoron reassured. "I got to see him and that's good enough for me. So don't feel guilty about that. It's not your fault. I guess that's what makes us different from other twins. There's nothing that I regret over in this lifetime; not about you at least." His eyes trailed to the right and he blinked. He smiled.

_Bingo_

Reaching over (and making Syaoran leaned over with him), Syaoron pulled a piece of clothing out of a pile of clothes with a smirk. "Well, well; what do we have here?" He waved it in front of his brother's face.

Syaoran's eyes widened before he grabbed it with a wide smile. "The trunks! You found them!" He hugged them as he let out a relieved chuckle. "Awesome." He smiled gratefully at his older twin. "Thanks nii-san. You're a life saver."

Shrugging with a smile Syaoron waved it off. "Don't thank me. I just happened to find it by coincidence." He then stood up. "Now that's done. How about we clean this room and finish packing?" He gave a nervous smile. "I could hear the phone ringing down the hallway and I have a guess on who's calling."

Chuckling, Syaoran nodded. "Right."

* * *

><p>"Damn it. What the hell is taking them so long?"<p>

The group finally made it to the Li brothers' house. However, something was holding them up as soon as they got there. Watanuki started calling them; wanting to ask if they are ready but neither of them picked up the phone. During that time, Yuui gently nudged his shoulder; trying to wake up the girl.

"Sakura…Sakura…" Yuui whispered in a soft tone. "Sweetie, it's time to wake up." He smiled. "We're at Syaoran's house."

A soft moan escaped her lips as Sakura's eyes started to open. She looked around to see where she was. Then she remembered. She's going on a trip with some of her friends. She looked up and found Yuui smiling back down at her. She then blushed as her recent memories caught up with her. She stood up and looked away. "I'm so sorry Yuui-sen—uh Yuui." She said. "I didn't realize I was sleeping on your shoulder. Was it a problem?"

Yuui shook his head. "No, it was no problem at all." He then stretched a bit. "It's better to get some rest before we head off then sleep through the whole thing, right?"

Giggling, the girl nodded.

"Come on." Watanuki grumbled as he snapped his phone shut. He sighed. "Neither one of the twins has answered yet. You _did_ tell them we'll be here right?"

Doumeki silently nodded.

Leaning back in his seat, Watanuki rubbed his eyes. "It's about to be dawn soon and they're not ready? And to think, Syaoron was the one who came up it this idea in the first place."

"Hm."

Then Yuui thought of something. "Hey, Doumeki." He started. "How about we switched seats now? After all your parents said that once everyone got in this car, I would be the one to drive."

The stoic looked through the head mirror and nodded.

So then everyone got out of the car. Watanuki, Sakura and Doumeki were outside while Yuui got into the driver's seat and strapped himself in. He looked at the wheel with a frown. "Ugh, I can never get used to driving big cars."

The teen trio were watching with amusement as they watched Yuui displaying different emotions on the car in question.

"Um….does anyone know what kind of cars Yuui likes to drive?" Sakura asked.

Watanuki shrugged. "Don't know. But at least we know he _hates_ SUV cars." He chuckled.

Doumeki nodded. "Maybe he likes sport cars." He then rubbed the back of his head. "He told me once that he wanted to get a Mustang GT or something."

Gaping at him, Watanuki scoffed. "_That_ car. No way! I think he's more of a _Prius _then a freaking Mustang!"

Sakura covered her mouth as she held back a laugh.

"A Prius?"

"Yes a freaking Prius! At least it's safe! The GT is way too dangerous and I'm sure Yuui wants to live past his thirties!"

"But isn't Yuui—"

"That's beside the point Sakura and you!" Watanuki pointed at the stoic teen. "Why the hell would he want that kind of car?"

Doumeki shrugged. "Because he wants to be cool."

"Cool?" Watanuki shouted. "Well then how about _you_ get that car if it's so freaking cool, huh? That'll up your popularity a bit huh?"

"Yeah! Let's all get a car! Maybe we can drag race at night when we're bored!"

The trio fell silent as a new voice was heard. They all turned around and saw….

"I'm just saying that it'd be cool have one, you know?"

Sakura was the first to break out of the shock as she squealed and ran up to the person and proceeded to hug the living daylights out of that person. "Syaoran! Oh my gosh! How are you?"

Syaoran blushed but awkwardly hugged back. "I'm fine thanks. Glad to see you too." He looked at the pair. "Good morning Watanuki, Doumeki."

"Good morning."

"Hey."

The girl let go of the boy and smiled. "I'm so happy right now. We're all going on a trip together!" She then looked behind him and frowned. "Um…Syaoran?"

"Yes?" The boy said.

"….Where's Syaoron? He's ready too, right?"

Watanuki and Doumeki looked behind Syaoran and blinked.

"Yeah, where is Syaoron?" Watanuki asked. "Is he still packing?"

Syaoran chuckled as he put a finger on his lips. "Sorry but my nii-san would get mad at me if I tell you guys before it happens."

The three were slightly confused.

"Before _what_ happens?"

* * *

><p>Yuui smiled as he saw Syaoran meeting up with the rest of the gang. He put the hand on the steering wheel and sighed. In just a few minutes the gang will go on a trip to a place that they have never been before. He was told though that Tomoyo will meet them up later with the new people he was informed of earlier. But he couldn't help but wonder who.<p>

Who would want to join a group that they never meet before?

A knock was heard on his side of the car. Confused, Yuui looked at who would be on the road. Only to have a pair of soft lips descend upon his. Blue eyes widened at the face before.

_Brown hair_

_Brown eyes_

_Soft lips_

_S-Syaoron?_

As fast as it came, those lips retracted from Yuui's; leaving the blonde in a slight daze. He looked at the person before him as he blushed. "Syaoron…." He breathed out. "Don't ever do that again. You nearly scared me."

Syaoron smiled before chuckling. "Just wanted to catch you off-guard. You never know what will happen on this trip."

Yuui sighed as he smiled. "Just get in the car."

"Roger." Syaoron mockingly saluted as he ran to the other side of the car and got into the passenger seat. He then threw his stuff to the back of the car and strapped himself in. "But I'm not sorry about it."

"Sure you not."

* * *

><p>"Okay then." Yuui said out-loud. "Is everyone strapped in?"<p>

Inside the car, the cooking teacher was the driver while Syaoron was in the passenger's seat. Behind them were Watanuki and Doumeki who each sitting on the window side. Behind _them_ were Syaoran and Sakura who had everyone's stuff behind their seats.

"Ready!"

"Ready."

"We're good."

"Hm."

"Yup."

Shifting the gear from parked to drive, Yuui nodded. "Okay then. Let's go."

And the car drove off from the main road to the highway as the sun started touching over the horizon.

The first morning of their trip.

* * *

><p><strong>END OF PART ONE<strong>

* * *

><p>Hope that will keep your interest for awhile ^_^<p>

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
><strong>


	3. On the road again: part two

FINALLY! AFTER A FEW MONTHS, I FINALLY GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE. YAY FOR ME~! =D

I'm just glad I can now get this story a bit moving.

and you never guess who are Tomoyo's new friends~! X3

Enjoy. ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>On the road again part 2<strong>

* * *

><p>[A couple hours in]<p>

"Oh! Oh! It's a giraffe!"

"No wait! It's a whale!"

"I bet it's a cat!"

"No, a dog! It got to be a dog!"

"Doumeki, do something dammit! We can't keep guessing if you're not freaking moving or anything!"

"…I _am_ doing something."

"Don't get smart with me you jerk!"

Yuui glanced over his shoulder with a grin. "It's amazing what a few friends crammed into a car can do." He reached over and took a can of soda that was leaned out for him. He opened the can and took a drink. He then put it on the holder as he kept his eyes on the road. "So how far is this beach house, Syaoron?"

"Not too far." Syaoron smiled as he looked over the map. "Tomoyo told me that if we continue this road for a little longer, we then can take a right turn on an intersection and a left on a lesser known road before finally reached the place." He then looked at Yuui. "Did Yuuko-sensei mention that the beach house is in a very exclusive place?"

"No, she didn't." Yuui said. "But it doesn't matter much to me. A beach house is a beach house. As long as we have sun, sand, the ocean and an open bar, I'm okay." He grinned as he heard Syaoron chuckle. "I'm glad that we can get to go somewhere as a group. You wouldn't believe how happy brother was when I told him about the trip. Of course it was just a whole two hours of him cheering and….congratulating me on finally getting some time to spend…with you." He blushed at the last part.

Syaoron nodded knowingly. "It was the same thing with my mom." He took a sip of his drink. "When I called her about what has been going on with my life at the academy, she was practically ecstatic; saying that she has always told me that I would find 'the one' and boy did I ever." He chuckled as his hair as ruffled by the blonde driver.

"Moms; you can't keep anything from them, can you?" Yuui smiled.

"Nope." Syaoron smiled back. "But they love you just the same right?"

"….Right."

The teenager blinked as he noticed the slight change in Yuui's voice. He saw the blonde's face having a longing, almost nostalgic look on it. He can tell that talking about their parents wasn't an easy subject; what with the Fluorite twins' parents dying before they even reached the age of fifteen. Even their older sister Chi has issues talking about it. That's why Hideki gave up on getting anything from them. Some things should be remain hidden.

"I….I'm sorry." Syaoron muttered. "I won't bring it up again." He then blushed as he got a quick peck on the cheek. It went as quickly as it came. He turned to look at Yuui…who had a very bright red face on him. He smiled. It seems that Yuui can be as sneaky as well.

"I give up; what are you _doing_ Doumeki?"

The stoic teen had his arms on each side of his head. "I was being a house. A small house actually."

"A house?" Watanuki shouted. "Who plays a _house _in a game of freaking charades?"

"Maybe someone who thought his boyfriend who should know what a house looked like." Doumeki calmly retaliated.

The rest of the group had to hold in their laughter as they could clearly see a vein threatening to pop in Watanuki's head.

"Okay, how about we play another game?" Sakura intervened with a smile. "Let's play I-spy!" She then clasped her hands. "I spy with my little eye something…blue."

"The sky!" Syaoran called out.

"Nope~!" Sakura shook her head.

"Um….that blue soda can Syaoron's holding." Watanuki said.

"Sorry but nope." Sakura smiled.

"….the ocean." Doumeki said.

"You idiot." Watanuki rolled his eyes. "We're not anywhere near the ocean. So how the hell would Sakura see something that isn't there?"

Doumeki shrugged.

"I know." Syaoron piped in. "It's Yuui's bright blue eyes, right? Because they're as blue as the sky above or the ocean anywhere in the world and there's no comparison to how beautiful those eyes are."

Syaoran, Watanuki and Yuui shared a blush at the poetic declaration.

Sakura giggled as she had a blush of her own. "As funny as this will sound but Syaoron's actually correct."

Doumeki had a faint smile as he looked out the window. "For a second there, I thought it was this moron's eyes." He lazily pointed a finger at Watanuki.

Watanuki smacked Doumeki's arm with a scowl and a red face. "You're _such_ a jerk."

* * *

><p>[A while later]<p>

"Do you have a pair of threes?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran shook his head. "Nope. Goldfish."

The excitement of the group wind down a bit as the sleepiness and fatigue were kicking in. Syaoran and Sakura were playing goldfish with a pack of cards that the boy brought for the trip. Watanuki was dozing off on Doumeki's shoulder; huddling with a blanket that came out of nowhere. Doumeki slightly smiled at the sight. Watanuki looked very peaceful when he's sleeping.

As for the passenger and the driver, it was very solemn at best. Syaoron was looking over his cell phone while Yuui was concentrating on the road ahead. They already turned a right at the intersection and were treading on a slightly dirt covered road, waiting to make a left turn.

Yuui glanced at Syaoran who was smiling at whatever he's looking at in his cell phone. He thought back to a time when he took a beach trip with his own family. Fai had his head out of the window, his mom was scolding him to not stick his head so far out and his dad playing some seventies music that he just didn't care to listen to.

Of course the car ride to the beach was very hectic. Despite that though, they managed to have a wonderful time. Of course the trip was cut short due to unforeseen weather, but in the cooking teacher's opinion, it was the best trip ever.

"Yuui, you're about to miss the turn."

"Oh!" Yuui then turned the steering wheel. "Thanks Syaoron. I have no idea where my mind went." The car then fell into silence once again. Yuui glanced briefly at the boy and saw that his eyes never left the phone. He then sighed and looked back at the road.

"Hey Yuui." Syaoron spoke up. "You know…I sent those pictures of the wedding to my mom and relatives back home. I kinda have to since we don't talk much over the phone as it is. Then I got a letter from my mom…saying that some time later….she'd want to meet you."

"…" Yuui didn't know what to make of it. "I see. As flattering as it sounds, I'm not really good when meeting new people…especially if it's the mother of my teenage boyfriend." He chuckled nervously as he felt his grip tightening on the wheel. He then blinked as a cell phone was right up in his face.

"My cousin who is with my mom right now sent me this text. It's actually my mom's words but my cousin helped her since she's not that good with technology." Syaoron said.

_Hello Syaoron,_

_This is your dear mom. I just wanted to say that I'm so happy that you have a wonderful time at the academy and you have new friends to spend time with. Your father would have been so proud. And thank you so much for those lovely pictures of the wedding. They were very amusing to look at. The couple was your boyfriend's brother and brother-in-law are they. Oh! They look so adorable; I wish I would have been there to see it._

_And that Yuui fella getting covered in cake, that poor boy._

_Anyway, I wanted to let you boys know that I'll visiting you two later this year. It's a while since we've been together and I really wanted to see the academy you both talk so much about. Oh and meet that nice boy, Yuui that has stolen your heart. I look forward to seeing you boys again._

_Hugs and Kisses,_

_Mom._

"….The nice boy who has stolen you heart?" Yuui said with a grin. "Exactly what have you told your mom about me?"

"Nothing but the truth." Syaoron said as he took the cell phone back. "Syaoran and I have been keeping our family posted on what's going on in our lives and well that subject popped out. And since we didn't go back to Hong Kong, mom decided to come to Japan instead. Not sure exactly when she'll come but I'll keep you posted…that way you won't freak out at the last minute."

"Well I guess there's no way out of it." Yuui blushed. "I'll be as polite and civil when your mom comes. And hopefully brother can be as well." He rolled his eyes. "Though that's wishful thinking on my part."

"Don't worry." Syaoron smiled. "All you have to do is be yourself. Despite what you might think, my mom doesn't like people who try too hard to get their approval. She just wants to know you….the real you." He then closed his cell phone. "I mean I am and look where we are now."

Yuui chuckled. "I guess you're right." He then narrowed his eyes. "Wait a sec; I think…I think I see the ocean." And then he smiled. "And it looks like a certain person's there too."

"Guess we found it." Syaoron commented. "It's been a while since we saw her…do you think she knows what's going on in the past year?"

"If she doesn't, I'd be very surprised." Yuui grinned.

* * *

><p>[A couple minutes later]<p>

Tomoyo waved as she saw a car coming towards them. She smiled as she then ran through the grass and up towards the vehicle. She then walked up to the driver's side as Yuui got out of the car. "Hello Yuui-sensei." She happily greeted. "It's been a while since we hang out."

"Likewise." Yuui then gestured Doumeki to wake up Watanuki and get out of the car. "So I'm guessing that Yuuko-sensei gave you the key to the beach house?"

"Of course." Tomoyo nodded. "When Yuuko-sensei told me about this place, I thought it was too good to be true. So how's Fai-sensei and Kurogane-sensei; are they coming?"

"No." Yuui smiled. "As far as I know, they are still on their honeymoon; doing whatever, wherever they like. I get the odd postcard and e-mail but they're having fun and they miss everyone."

"Syaoran, it's fine. I can carry my own bags!"

Tomoyo and Yuui look over to see Syaoran struggling to carry both his bags and Sakura's bags. Doumeki and Watanuki look at the scene with different expressions. Well Watanuki's snickering while Doumeki just stared. Then Syaoron came into the picture and took a few bags off Syaoran and smiled. That smile made Yuui smile in return.

"Oh~! I see that Fai-sensei wasn't the only one who found Mr. Perfect."

Yuui sputtered as he glanced back at Tomoyo. "I…I have absolutely no idea what are talking about!" He then blushed as the girl giggled.

" It's okay Yuui-sensei. I know all about you and dear Syaoron." Tomoyo said with a smile. "I think it's sweet to see you two in love and happy. Of course to hear it from Yuuko-sensei herself, it was a bit surprising. Then again, Love knows no bounds."

"Don't I know it." Yuui crossed his arms. "I'm still a bit unsure of the relationship that we have, Syaoron and I." He then chuckled. "But no matter what I think or say, life tends to brings us closer, both as friends and…." He then felt a soft touch of a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay to feel a bit odd about it." Tomoyo said softly. "But you can't deny the fact that you have found someone who's willing to be with you through thick and thin. Don't let boundaries and rules shield you from your happiness. And don't be afraid to say what you mean to him. He has some things to learn as well."

"Like you perhaps?" Yuui softly said. "I mean, not all love is equal, now is it?"

Tomoyo smiled sadly. "Unrequited love can hurt you a bit…but to see Sakura so happy with the person she loves is more than enough to make me happy for her as well." She then covered her mouth. "It doesn't matter if she ever returns my feelings I have for her. I just wish to see her happy." And then she smiled. "And to see you and everyone else happy as well. That is my wish."

Blinking, Yuui let all of what Tomoyo said sink in. If he was the one who feelings weren't return, he didn't know what to do. He wasn't as strong as Tomoyo. If he ever got rejected by Syaoron, then it's the end of the world for him. He lived his life away from others and found both tranquility and misery just so he wouldn't have to deal with another emotional tragedy. But to see that smile on that boy's face…..it may be not as bad as it could be.

_Syaoron…._

"Hey Yuui!"

The blonde looked at the group of teenagers who had their bags and luggage in their hands with Syaoron smiling at him.

"Hey Tomoyo, how about you show us the house since we'll be together for a while?" Syaoron asked with a very bright smile.

The girl nodded with a smile while Yuui covered his face as heat was creeping up his cheeks. Somewhere in the back of his head, the cooking teacher knew that Syaoron at least heard a little of their conversation.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! It's bigger on the inside!"<p>

The teenagers started running around, trying to see the whole house in one go. Syaoran and Sakura were running up the stair to see the upper bedrooms, Watanuki ran into the kitchen and started shouting about how clean and functional the appliances were, Doumeki was calmly walking to the back; slightly enjoying the view and Syaoron was on the couch; lightly dozing off from being awake for more than necessary.

Yuui looked around the giant two-story house and whistled. "Yuuko-sensei…you have done it again." When he looked at Tomoyo, he grinned. "How long has she had this place? I'm pretty sure that this place, being big and exclusive, it's not cheap."

"She told me before giving me the keys that she inherited this house with other things by her family. She's fairly rich but that's not how she got to be chairman at the academy." Tomoyo smiled.

"Darn." Yuui chuckled. "If Kurogane were to hear that he'd cursed. He'd be so sure that she paid someone to make her chairman." He grinned.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Tomoyo then walked up to the door and opened it. "Oh, it's you two~! You're right on time. Please come in." Even though it was unseen, there was no denying the smile that laced her voice.

Yuui saw whoever came in his mind was in both surprise and relief. "Ah, you must be Tomoyo's new friends." He said as he walked towards them. "I'm Yuui Fluorite, the cooking teacher of the Horitsuba academy." He leaned out his hand.

"Oh, Hi! My name's Chikahito Takamoto." The young man took Yuui's hand with a smile. "I just met Tomoyo through another person and we quickly became friends. I'm also a high school student taking his summer break from Kyoto."

"Kyoto, huh?" Yuui smiled. "I've never been there. I hear that it's a very wonderful and historical place. Also very quiet compared to Tokyo from what I read in books."

"Yeah, well even a quiet place can be eventful." Takamoto smiled as he readjusted his glasses. He then gasped as he felt a pushed behind him. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "It's okay. They won't hurt you; they're Tomoyo's friends. And they are very nice."

Yuui was confused on who Takamoto was talking to. However it wasn't long until he saw a head just peaking behind Takamoto's back. He then softly smiled. "Hello there. I'm Yuui; what's yours?"

Then a pair of big colorful eyes looked right back at the cooking teacher. "Hana. My name is Hana." Hana then walked a bit out of Takamoto's back and stood right next to the teen but held a grip on the boy's sleeve.

"What a lovely name you have there; Hana." Yuui said with a smile. "And where do you live?"

"Kyoto."

"Ah, so you have met Takamoto there too, I bet. Are you two friends?"

"….Friends?"

Takamoto coughed making Yuui and Hana look up at him with slight confusion; his face a bit red. "Um…how about we go to our rooms and unpack? Uh, Tomoyo, can you show us the way?"

"Of course." Tomoyo smiled knowingly. "Just go up those stairs and I'll meet you there." She saw Takamoto and Hana go to the stair case and walked up the stairs. She then turned to Yuui who was still a bit confused. "Takamoto and Hana met and rather…unusual terms. He told me that he was just visiting Kyoto because he was fascinated by its history. Though it didn't end that way."

"So how did he and Hana meet?" Yuui asked.

"Well I don't know the details but I heard that Takamoto saved Hana from a head on collision from a speeding car. She was a bit ill and was wondering and he just happened to find her. She hasn't separated from him ever since."

"And that's why he's not attending high-school in Kyoto, right?"

"I'm not sure if that's the only reason but I guess for now it is." Tomoyo shrugged. "Now why don't you just relax a bit? I'll show the others their rooms first and then we'll get lunch ready, okay?"

Nodding, Yuui yawned. "Yeah. It has been a long morning." He waved at Tomoyo before the girl ran up the stairs. His eyes then trailed to the couch where Syaoron was dozing on one side. Tiredly smiling, Yuui went over that couch. He sat on it and sighed. "What a morning. I didn't think I had the energy to get up let alone driving." He then felt his eyelids droop a bit. Before long, Yuui was flying over to dream land. All the fatigue of the early morning now starting to get to him as he fell deeper into sleep.

Barely noticing that a certain someone had draped a blanket over him…and whispering in a very quiet voice,

"_Sleep well, Yuui."_

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

* * *

><p>Yes, it's Takamoto and Hana from GATE 7. I wanted to write those two for awhile since I read that series, still ongoing though, only about...fourfive chapters in. Not really sure how I'll pull them off in later chapters but I'll try my best. ^_^

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
><strong>


	4. First day

Here it is. Another chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. ^_^**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>First Day<strong>

* * *

><p>"That was very nice of you to do that, Syaoron."<p>

Syaoron smiled as he was chopping the vegetables. "Yeah. I figured that Yuui be tired from waking up early and doing most of the driving so I wanted him to be warm and comfortable." He then placed the knife down. "Hey Watanuki, can I put them in the pot now?"

Watanuki looked over the boiling pot and smiled. "Just wait a sec; it needs to really boil before we can put them in."

"Got it."

Tomoyo giggled as she was squeezing lemons for lemonade. "You two are excellent cooks. It amazing how much of Yuui-sensei's skills has rubbed off on you." She covered her smile as Watanuki blushed heavily at the statement.

"Oh no, I can never be as great at Yuui-sensei!" Watanuki said with a bit of modesty. "He is a professional cook from Italy after all. And he's _is_ a cooking teacher." He then went back to the pot. "I'm just a fast learner; that's all."

"Watanuki, don't put yourself down like that." Tomoyo softly said. "You are a wonderful person and you are a great cook. The other students may know how to bake a cake, but you know how to cater a feast and the most amazing feast at that; single-handily no less."

"She's right." Syaoron said as he dumped the veggies into the pot. "Remember that time we baked those Christmas pastries? Yours was the most creative cake in the whole class." He then grinned. "Yuui even said that you have the potential to go professional. You're an awesome cook and you can't deny that. You know you are."

The blue-eyed teen glanced at both Tomoyo and Syaoron with a red face. "Y-You think I'm a great chef?" As the two nodded, Watanuki chuckled a bit as he stirred the pot. "I…I don't know what to say…really. I…I feel very happy to hear such a thing. From friends no less. I…I don't know where to start."

"Maybe a 'thank you' can work." Syaoron jokingly said.

The three of them shared a laugh before they heard a cough. They all look to see Hana peaking in from the side of the wall between the living room and the kitchen. She was holding the side tightly as she had a shy look in her eyes.

Smiling softly, Tomoyo dropped the lemons and walked towards the young girl. "Hey there Hana." Her smile didn't lessen as the girl flinched. "Was there anything that you need? Do you want a little snack or something? Because lunch isn't ready just yet."

Hana lifted her head up and looked at Tomoyo. "…Noodles?"

The teen girl laughed. "Yes, we're making ramen soup." Then she was slightly surprised to see a shine in those girl's eyes. "You like noodles, don't you?" She giggled as Hana nodded. "And I bet you're hungry too." Another nod. Tomoyo then looked at Watanuki. "What do you think chef, should we give her some noodles to try?"

Watanuki gave a look to Tomoyo then to Hana before going back to Tomoyo. He then saw Tomoyo nodding just slightly with a knowing smile. Getting the message he stuttered and smiled. "O-Of course she can." He then got a bowl and poured the soup and the noodles. "It's nice to get an outsider's opinion for a change."

Getting a pair of chopsticks and a spoon, Watanuki took the soup to the small table in the kitchen as Tomoyo sat the girl. He placed the bowl in front of her along with the utensils. "Here you go."

Hana glanced up at Watanuki before looking at the soup. She took a pair of chopsticks and stirred a bit inside the soup. As the chopsticks grabbed some noodles, Hana blew on them, a bit so it wouldn't burn her tongue. She then slurped the noodles. She chewed and swallowed. She then took another look at the soup. She then glanced up at the teenagers and had a feeling that they were waiting for an answer. She blinked. "The noodles are good."

Watanuki sighed in relief as Tomoyo and Syaoron gave each other a high-five. Another person satisfied by the blue-eyed teen's cooking.

"What are you all doing?"

The four looked and saw Doumeki leaning on the doorway.

Watanuki puffed up his chest in pride and gave the stoic teen a proud smirk. "Well then you oaf, if you _must_ know. I have satisfied yet another person by my excellent cooking." He then pointed at Doumeki with a grin. "So suck on that, Doumeki!"

"Uh Watanuki…." Syaoron piped up. "Careful with what you say around Hana. Not sure if she's used to that yet."

The blue-eyed teen slightly blushed at his outburst but held his ground. "Well….that still doesn't change the fact that at least someone appreciates my cooking unlike _you_."

Doumeki didn't say anything for a minute. Then he walked towards Watanuki and leaned over to the boy's right ear. He whispered something. He leaned back to see Watanuki blushing brightly red. He then faintly smirked and walked out of the kitchen.

Tomoyo and Syaoron looked at each other with slight confusion.

"What did Doumeki whispered to Watanuki?" Syaoron wondered out-loud.

Hana who was quiet up to that point finished her soup with a big gulp and wiped the stains around her mouth with her sleeve. "A secret."

* * *

><p>'<em>This should be a crime.' <em>Syaoron thought with a smile. _'There's just no way a man like Yuui can be that cute while sleeping.' _His smile widened as he heard a groan escaped the cooking teacher's lips. Lunch has come and went without much trouble. But they forgot one thing.

They didn't wake Yuui up.

Feeling a bit guilty, Syaoron got what's left of the soup and some crackers and a drink on a tray and decided to bring it to the blonde. But as soon as he laid eyes on him, he almost wished he hadn't.

Putting the tray on the table near the couch, Syaoron leaned over and brushed his hand lightly over Yuui's forehead. That got a soft moan out of blonde. Smiling, Syaoron leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Yuui," He whispered as he moved back a bit. "Wake up Yuui; I have something for you to eat."

At the mention of food, Yuui pulled himself from the realm of dreams and brought himself back to the world on consciousness. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of Syaoron's smiling face. The smile was so soft and warm that Yuui couldn't help but smile back. "Hey." He said, raspy. "What time is it?"

"It's the afternoon, actually." Syaoron said as he took a seat on the couch. As Yuui sat up and stretched a bit, he moved the tray so it would be right in front of him. "Here. I knew that you would be hungry." He then grinned. "It's ramen noodle soup; Watanuki-style. It's still a bit hot though."

Yuui smiled as he took the tray and started eating. "It's no problem, I can deal with that. And thanks for the fork, Syaoron." He blushed a bit. "I'm still not very good at chopsticks. Another thing of Japan that I'm not used to yet."

"No problem." Syaoron leaned back on the couch as he saw Yuui slurping the noodles messily. He then closed his eyes and sighed. "Did you sleep well?"

Paused in mid-slurp, Yuui nodded. He then finished the noodles that were hanging from his mouth a moment ago. "Yeah. Funny though, it was the first time I slept very comfortably alone on vacation."

"You mean you have trouble sleeping when you're on vacation?"

"Well, the problem wasn't that I couldn't _go_ to sleep; it's just that I can't _stay_ asleep…well at least not longer than a few hours at a time." Breaking a cracker in half, Yuui popped one half into his mouth. "So where are the others? I haven't heard anything since I woke up."

"Lil' bro and the others are outside just hanging out." Syaoron smiled. "I guess that with all the excitement of coming here that when they actually are here, they don't feel like doing anything else anymore." He then sighed. "Just to let you know though, we might be having noodle dishes from now on."

Yuui looked at Syaoron with a bit of confusion. "Why do you say that?"

Syaoron rubbed the back of his head. "Let's just say that in the few hours that we have met, the rest of us now know at least one thing that Hana likes." He then heard Yuui chuckle. "Did Takamoto say anything about meeting her? Because I was wondering why a guy like him ended up with a girl like her….not she's bad or anything."

Smiling, Yuui placed his fork down. "Well I didn't hear it from him but Tomoyo filled me in on the basics. Apparently, it was accidental meeting. Poor Hana was very frail at the time and was a bit of a pickle." He then laced his fingers together. "Takamoto just happened to be there and saved her."

"And he saved her…how?" Syaoron asked.

"He ran into the street and pushed her out of the way from a speeding car." Yuui said with a frown. "I don't know exactly but from Tomoyo, Hana was very sick and was wondering and eventually she was seen on a street with the car almost hit her. It must have been scary for her to experience that."

"Is that why Hana's clinging onto Takamoto?"

"Could be but like I said, I don't know all the details." Yuui sighed. "But I think we shouldn't talk about people behind their backs until we hear the whole story. But even then we shouldn't pry. No one wants to feel like they need to force themselves telling their past just for us to know."

Syaoron saw a bit of sadness in those sapphire eyes. Feeling a bit awkward, he nodded. "…Right."

The room was then filled with silence for a few minutes.

"…Are you done with your meal?"

Yuui smiled as he nodded. "Yes. It was good like you told me." He was about to take the tray when Syaoron beat him to it. He looked up at the brown-haired boy with confusion. "Syaoron?"

"I'll take it back." Syaoron said. "I don't want you to waste energy since you just woken up and ate." He then started making his way over to the kitchen. "Watanuki also made some home-made ice cream that he really wanted you to try. We already had some so you don't have to worry."

Looking over the couch, Yuui saw Syaoron's back as the boy started washing the dishes. He couldn't help but notice the slight change in the boy's posture. His shoulders were sagging a bit and the hands that were washing the dishes were moving slowly. He then narrowed his eyes. "Syaoron….is there something wrong?"

At the mention of his name, Syaoron flinched a bit before turning his head and smiling at the blonde. "Oh sorry; I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"

Yuui frowned but shook his head. "Nothing. Forget I said anything." He then sighed as the boy continued where he left off. Something was going on in that boy's head. He just didn't know what it is. _'What are you thinking about, Syaoron?'_

* * *

><p>"It's your turn, Hana." Yuui politely said. It was later in the afternoon as the others were taking a nap. Takamoto was one of them but Hana just didn't want to go to sleep. Yuui asked Takamoto if it'd be okay to hang out with her for a bit. The boy nodded and smiled.<p>

So it was Yuui, Hana and Syaoron in the living room. Syaoron opted that they play cards.

Hana looked up from her hand and nodded. "Do you….have any threes?"

"Nope, goldfish." Yuui smiled. As the girl took a card from the pile, he had a thought. "Say Hana, how did you and Tomoyo meet? Was it over the internet?"

The girl shook her head. "She's friends with Sakura, who lives in Kyoto with me."

Syaoron looked a bit confused. "But Sakura and Tomoyo have been friends for as long as I known them. But she never mentioned anything about living in Kyoto for a while." He then blinked as Hana giggled softly.

"No. Not _that_ Sakura. My friend Sakura. He's my roommate; together with Tachibana." Hana smiled as she saw Yuui's and Syaoron's surprised expressions. "They took care of me since I was little. They're so nice and sweet. They even make me noodles every day. I do love noodles."

Yuui saw the sprinkle in her eyes and smiled back. "I see. So you've known Sakura and Tachibana for a long time right?" Hana nodded. "It must be nice then, being with people who treat you like family. You must be very grateful to them."

Hana nodded with a smile.

"Those two guys must have hearts of gold to be taking care of a sweet girl like you. Just like two other guys who looked over a certain someone." Syaoron said with a grin. "You got any queens, Yuui?"

The cooking teacher raised an eyebrow but nodded as he gave Syaoron two cards. "Well at this day and age, anything can happen, like my brother." He snickered. "You wouldn't believe the many things he has done that would defy the laws of logic."

"Don't worry Yuui. We've seen more than enough at the academy all year around." Syaoron joked. "I'd be more surprised if he does something even remotely normal."

"And Kurogane is still waiting for that day to come." Yuui chuckled.

Hana looked at the two with her calm eyes. "Academy?"

"Oh yeah, we go to this school named Horitsuba Gakuen or Horitsuba academy in English." Syaoron said. "My friends and I are students while Yuui's a teacher. He teaches home economics such as cooking. His brother and Kurogane are teachers too. Our chairman, the woman who lets use her beach house has been responsible for some of the good things that happen at the school."

"And most of the bad things that to us…" Yuui muttered. "No offense to the woman, I just think that there are rules that should be there for our safety and sanity rather than to her leisure." He then smiled at Hana. "You got any fives?"

"Goldfish." Hana smiled.

"I know but think about it, if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here right now; teaching what you love and being around your brother and making friends." Syaoron pointed out. "I mean you'd still be in Italy just a chef among other chefs." When he saw Yuui downcast his eyes a bit, Syaoron mentally kicked himself for saying that. "Um….actually what I meant to say was-"

"I know what you trying to say, Syaoron." Yuui said with a low voice. "But I rather not hear about my pathetic life before coming here from you of all people, okay?"

Feeling bad, Syaoron nodded.

Hana stared at Yuui and Syaoron before putting down the cards on the table. She then walked over to Yuui. The teacher looked up at the girl with a bit of confusion. Then the girl wrapped her arms around him. She leaned her head on the man's shoulder. "Tachibana was sad too, was very lonely for a long time. So Sakura told me that a hug might help. Because people like to be hugged…right?"

Feeling his heart sting a bit, Yuui returned the hug as softly as he could so he wouldn't hurt the young child. Then he felt his body shaking a bit. He glanced at Syaoron who stood up and came around the man and hugged him as well. He can practically fell the warmth from their bodies as well as their hearts…although it was unclear how he could.

"I'm sorry." Syaoron muttered on Yuui's back. "I know you rather put it behind you. I didn't mean anything bad about that. It's your life no matter what, and as your boyfriend and friend, I should respect that. So…sorry again." He felt a hand lightly brushing his hair.

"It's okay. I guess what I need is a hug." Yuui said with a chuckle. "But let's not make a huge deal out of this."

The three released themselves from the hug only to hear a yawn coming from the peak of the staircase.

"Nii-san…." Syaoran groaned softly as he rubbed his eye. "What's going on?"

Syaoron smiled softly as he made his way to the foot of the staircase. "Nothing much, just having a bit of fun. You want to join us?"

Syaoran nodded. His messed up hair and his sleepy eyes made him rather cute. As soon as Syaoran was a foot away, Syaoron hugged him gently. Still feeling a bit sleepy, he just leaned on his older brother's shoulder as the two went to the couch.

Hana and Yuui smiled at the sight.

The twin boys sat on the couch slowly as Syaoron moved Syaoran to doze a bit on his lap. Reaching over, Syaoron grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over Syaoran. "You still tired?"

Syaoran nodded. "I haven't slept very well last night."

Grinning, Syaoron patted Syaoran on the head softly. "I know. Just get some more sleep, I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

"Okay." And just like that Syaoran was out like a light.

Yuui watched as Syaoran slept and his older brother started humming a wordless yet soft tune while looking over him. He then remembered a time where Fai was singing a tune for him when they were kids. He was sleepy and Fai helped him to a bed. He and Fai were laying side by side with Fai hugging him. He smiled at the memory.

Syaoron looked up at Yuui and Hana who had smiles on their faces. He then laughed softly. "I know. It's weird for us to be doing this; me singing for my little brother at this age. But that kind of habit just wouldn't die. I guess it's a twin thing or something."

Hana then leaned on Yuui and hugged his arm. "It's not weird. Tachibana does that for me before bed sometimes. When I told Sakura, he said it was something a person would do to let them know that even when they are sleeping, they have someone who cares about them; that are keeping them safe from harm."

The cooking teacher stared at the young girl with awe. It was very surprising to hear those words from Hana's mouth. Then again, she's been through more than anyone can imagine. Smiling, Yuui patted her head. "It's not a twin thing, I suppose. It's just…a kind thing to do." With that said, Yuui began singing a tune.

A tune that he knew from his mother.

* * *

><p>Takamoto yawned as he walked down the stairs, it was late afternoon and the sun was about to set. He got a text from his mother; asking him how was the trip so far. As he got to the bottom of the stairs, he saw a sight that made his eyes wide.<p>

On the couch were the Li' twins sleeping peacefully. On the other side of the table were Yuui and Hana. Yuui was singing a calm soothing tune while Hana listened and smiled.

The teenager smiled. Hana had this charm that draws people in around her even though she doesn't know it. She may be shy but once people get to know her, she's the nicest girl you'll ever meet.

"Chikahito?"

Takamoto looked over to see Hana and Yuui staring at him. He blushed as he heard Yuui laughing at him or rather what he was doing.

"You're free to join us if you want." Yuui said with a grin.

Hana lend out her hand and smiled a bit. "Please?"

Not having to ability to say 'no', Takamoto chuckled. "Why not? It's not like I have anything better to do." He went to the couch and sat next to Hana as Yuui continued to sing his little tune. The boy then closed his eyes and smiled. _'Funny, I feel like I'm back in my bedroom with my mom.'_

* * *

><p>Dinner came and went as the sun went down and the moon was rising. Tomoyo got an idea about doing something interesting. So after dinner, she told the group to go outside to the shoreline of the beach and have a campfire.<p>

Doumeki found some trees around and (with Li' brothers' help) chop some wood down and carry them to the beach. The girls and Watanuki prepared some snacks. As for Takamoto and Yuui, they were just standing at the beach, looking at the dark ocean, hearing the waves move back and forth on the sand.

"How old are you, Takamoto?" Yuui casually asked.

"I'm sixteen going on seventeen, sir." Takamoto answered with a smile. "I know; I'm a bit tall for a sixteen year old but my mom told me that I got the tall genes from my dad and I'm proud of that. Though sometimes people would mistake my age because I'm this tall."

"Your dad, huh?" Yuui said. "Is he with your mom or something?"

"No…he passed away." Takamoto said solemnly.

Yuui looked at Takamoto with wide eyes. "Oh dear. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Don't be." Takamoto chuckled. "The man died when I was little so I barely knew him. But my mom would tell me stories about him and he sounds like a good man. What about you? Got any family to speak of?"

The cooking teacher glanced over his shoulder to see Doumeki and the Li brothers coming onto the beach. He sighed as he looked back at Takamoto. "I have or should I say _had_ a mother and father. It….was an accident; let's leave it at that. But I do have an older sister who's married and has her first child. And also…I have a twin brother." He smiled.

"Whoa, you're a twin." Takamoto exclaimed with a smile. "That's so cool! To have someone who looks like you." He then started rocking back and forth. "I read somewhere that twins are a sign of good fortune and the family is twice as blessed. So that means that your family had some luck."

'_Sign of good fortune, huh? How ironic since my family's not exactly that lucky.' _Yuui then changed the subject a bit. "Really? So you like to read books?"

"Of course! I love reading books." Takamoto said. "But what I love more is Kyoto and everything about the place." He then looked at the sky. "I like the history, the food, the shrines, everything. And above all, it's so quiet and peaceful…just seeing those cherry blossoms in the spring, it's like a wonderland to me."

Yuui couldn't help but see a bit of him in Takamoto. He's so young, excited, and content with his life but still trying to find something new. It was so refreshing and vivid. He missed that. "So you love Kyoto huh?" When Takamoto nodded, he continued. "So is that why you transferred there?"

"Um….not really." Takamoto rubbed his head. "But it was one of the reasons. You see….I was just on a trip to Kyoto; nothing more. Then something happened…and the next thing I knew I started living there with Hana, Tachibana and Sakura."

"…I see." Yuui muttered. "And your mom had no problem with you living with a few strangers at the time?"

Takamoto laughed at the question. "Well the thing is, my mom was called on business and she had to travel a bit. So she just agreed more or less…as long as I get in touch with her once in a while." The teen then re-adjusted his glasses. "It's funny how life would just push you into another direction though; mine certainly did."

"Yes, you're right about that." Yuui laughed. "You wouldn't believe the stuff that I went through during a short period of my life. Sometimes I wonder if I'm in a dream or something."

"Yeah, except there's no magic and fairies and a weird guy wearing a dress….right?"

The two looked at each other and started laughing. They were laughing so loudly that they failed to notice that they had eyes staring back at them.

Tomoyo, with a smile, decided to break the moment as she coughed loudly. That prompted the two to stop laughing and look at the rest of the group. She then saw the two of them blushed deeply with embarrassment. It took all of her control not to giggle then and there. "Yuui-sensei, Chikahito, we have the fire ready. Would you like to join us?"

Chuckling nervously, Yuui nodded. "I think that's a great idea." He glanced at the teenager. "Shall we join them?"

Takamoto nodded with a grin. "Sure." He started walking towards the fire and the group. He then bombarded with Hana who ran up to him and gave him a hug. He smiled and returned the gesture.

Yuui smiled and started to follow suit. He then saw Syaoron running up to him.

"You look like you're having fun." Syaoron said with a smile. "So what did you guys talk about? Anything I should know?"

Looking at the boy before him Yuui had a fond look before putting up a smile. "Nothing much. Just about life and things in between." He then blushed slightly as Syaoron took Yuui's hand into his. "What's with the sudden gesture?"

"Oh come on." Syaoron grinned. "Can't I at least hold the hand of my own boyfriend?" He then leaned up and gave Yuui a kiss. "We'll be here for a while. So let's make the most of it before school starts again. Okay?"

Glancing at those deep brown eyes, Yuui saw that Syaoron was determined to have fun and be happy. So why shouldn't he? With a nod and a smile, Yuui leaned down and made a brave move by kissing Syaoron's cheek.

"Of course."

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.<strong>

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
><strong>


	5. The beach finally!

_Yes! It lives!_

_..._

_Barely!_

_OTL_

_Yeah, I'm really sorry for putting this off for so long. Things just get in the way._

_I hope I get this story going again without too much interruption._

_Enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>The beach; finally!<strong>

* * *

><p>Ah, now <em>this<em> was the life.

The sun was out, the ocean lapping across the shore and seagulls squawking up at the sky; barely noticeable to most.

Yep, this was paradise.

"Yuui~!"

"Hmm?" Yuui opened his eyes and saw Syaoron smiling down at him.

"You look rather peaceful. Had a nice nap?" Syaoron was wearing a dark blue trunk shorts and a very thin white tank top. The tank top was added after a brief discussion on public decency. But he knew it was mostly due to the fact that his boyfriend just wasn't ready to see that part of him…

At least, not yet.

Nodded in satisfaction, Yuui sat up from his position; now sitting on the thick beach towel. "Yeah. The breeze from this wonderful place is just…wonderful." He was a bit hesitant to go to the beach even after last night. Why? Because he and Syaoron were sharing a bed and he didn't want to get up.

Then Takamoto walked in. Though it wasn't the boy's fault, after all someone had to call the pair over for breakfast.

It took an hour or so for both Takamoto and Yuui to look at each other in the eye after that.

Syaoron grinned as he sat next to the teacher. "That's good. I'm glad you're relaxing." He looked up and down at Yuui. "Let me guess, Tomoyo made that for you."

Yuui blushed. "…Well, she wanted to give me a present." That much was true. Without anyone's knowledge, Tomoyo had made a few bathing suits for the gang. Most of them were for Sakura but the rest were grateful nonetheless. Yuui was wearing a white trunk shorts with blue lines and tiny flowers swirling throughout the whole garment.

However due to the cooking teacher's shyness, he was also wearing a plain white t-shirt. When Tomoyo heard about it, she pouted and tried to convince the blonde that there's nothing wrong with just wearing a pair of trunks but to no avail.

Humming, Syaoron looked at the ocean. There he saw his lil' brother and Sakura splashing around. The girl had a big smile on her face; having fun in the sun. Syaoran's smile was calmer but just as bright. "Funny isn't it?"

Yuui blinked. "What is?"

"Before I even came to the academy, all I heard from Syaoran was how beautiful Sakura was. How she smiled and laughed. He was grateful to be her friend." He wrapped his arms around his legs. "Everytime we're chatting online or talking on the phone; that's all I hear. It made me smile; to know that lil' bro has found someone; even if he doesn't see it that way yet."

"You're happy for your brother." Yuui smiled. "What sibling wouldn't want that for them?"

"Yeah." Syaoron nodded. "But the more I thought on it; the more I realized…that I wanted something like that too. At the time it felt very selfish. I was home with my family and Syaoran was pretty much alone. I never had 'friends' but at the same time 'family' wasn't something Syaoran didn't much of either."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting something." Yuui glanced over at Syaoron. "If you want something so badly then you should do whatever you can to get it. As long as you don't be too greedy when you do." He then felt a touch over his hand. He saw that Syaoron's hand was gently passing over his. He looked up and saw Syaoron's deep brown eyes staring back at him with fondness.

"I'm afraid I can't promise that I wouldn't be." Syaoron said with a smile. "Since you have my heart, it's fair that I have yours. And I have no intention of giving it up."

Yuui felt his face heat like never before. He scowled a bit. "You just said all that just so, you can find an opening and say that, right?"

"Partly." Syaoron grinned. "But just I said it doesn't mean it's not true. You have my heart and now I have yours. It's only fair."

"…." Feeling his held hand being squeezed a bit, Yuui couldn't help feel his chest swell with excitement. _'Calm down you damn heart.' _At that he chuckled. "You're unbelievable."

Syaoron laughed.

"Lunch time!"

The pair looked over and saw Watanuki, Doumeki and Tomoyo coming over with boxes of lunch. Watanuki was wearing a pair of gray trunks that had a butterfly on the left pant leg. Doumeki was wearing a pair of brown trunks that had an arrow on the right pant leg. And as for Tomoyo….

"I can't believe you made that." Yuui shook his head as he smiled. "It looks so beautiful."

The dark-haired girl smiled as she covered her mouth just slightly. "I just had a lot of left over material and it'd be a shame to waste it." She was wearing a two piece dark purple bathing suit. The edges were laced with ruffles and around the chest area; it was buttoned with small gold pendants.

"Hey guys!"

The group turned their heads and saw Takamoto and Hana just running towards them. Takamoto was wearing a pair of teal trunks that had bits of tiny birds on them while Hana was in a one piece black bathing suit with cherry blossoms lacing around the figure.

But what made Hana very cute was the inner tube she was holding; a bright pink inner tube that was circling her waist. Plus she has been playing in the water so her hair was dripping.

"About time." Syaoran called out as he and Sakura caught up to the rest of the group. "We thought you two went back to the house."

"Well my cell phone rang and it was Hana's….guardians." Takamoto smiled. "They wanted to check what was going on and see if Hana was okay."

"Okay." Hana said as she was holding Takamoto's hand. She then glanced at the lunch boxes. "Food?"

"Yup." Sakura smiled brightly as she went up to the younger girl. "It's lunch time we're going to get something to eat."

"…Are there noodles?"

Yuui felt a very big smile gracing his lips. That girl sure love noodles. "Of course. What would a meal without noodles?"

Syaoran and Syaoron exchanged smiles.

"So….are we going to eat or what?" Doumeki asked.

Watanuki scowled. "Just once can you _not_ think of only food?" Then he blushed as Doumeki gave him a look. "You're sick!" He accused.

Blinking, Sakura glanced at Tomoyo. "What just happened?"

"Oh nothing." Tomoyo smirked. "Just a tiny play spat between the two."

* * *

><p>"Come on, Yuui!" Syaoron called out. "Get in the water!"<p>

"I'm fine here!" Yuui shouted out.

After lunch, the group opted to play in the ocean before evening. The sun was passed its peak and was descending. However, Yuui didn't feel much for playing in the water. It wasn't that he was afraid of the water or anything. It's just that….

Tomoyo cheered as she waved her arms around. "Look at how gorgeous Syaoron is!"

He'd rather stay on dry land where it's safe.

Sitting on the sand; close to the water, Yuui watched as the small waves were lapping at his feet. Back and forth, back and forth. Like a worn out record only not as annoying. There were some other people around the area but it was few and apart from the group. He knew that the beach was public. No way Yuuko-sensei can be that rich and buy the whole place.

But he wouldn't put it pass her.

"Yuui!"

The blonde looked up and saw Syaoron staring at him with crossed arms.

"If you're not in the water in two minutes, I'm coming there and drag you out here myself!" Syaoron thought that Yuui was looking way too much into something that wasn't even a big issue in the first place. Yes, he had taken off his tank top but he was getting wet and the shirt was clinging to his skin very tightly—

-Okay he had _some_ idea why Yuui wanted to stay away from him.

But still, they only had a limited time at the beach before they go home and possibly away from each other. He wanted to spend some time with Yuui regardless. Now if only he can get him into the water.

Yuui bit his lower lip and nodded. "Fine. But when I get there, I'm going to get you!" He grinned as Syaoron shouted back 'I like to see you try' at him. Sighing, he took off his shirt. His pale skin shined against the sunlight; his whole body emitting a sort of glow around him. Though with sunscreen, he can already feel the sun's heat waves hitting him.

"Well, well , well….what do we have here?"

The blonde turned his head and saw two women staring at him with sly smiles. He nervously smiled. "Uh…hello."

"Hello to you too." The first one said. She was a tall woman with blonde hair, green eyes and was….well endowed. She was also wearing a two piece bright green bathing suit and a straw hat. She smiled as she approached the man. "I didn't realize that this beach was a haven with sexy men. Surely you seem the sexiest of them all."

Blushing, Yuui rubbed the back of his head; obviously a bit taken back by that comment. "Ah—well…" It wasn't the first time he was complimented by the opposite sex. Though he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't content with it. "I'm sure I'm not all that."

"Oh but you are." The second woman said. She was slightly shorter then the first one and was wearing a one piece dark red bathing suit and white flip-flops. She was a brunette with brown eyes and while she wasn't as well-endowed as her friend, she still had some beauty in her. "You are very handsome and kinda cute."

_'Cute?' _Yuui blushed as the women got a bit closer. A bit too close to his comfort. "Oh no, I'm not that cute at all but I appreciate your kind comments on my behalf." He faked a smile as he tried to use bigger words to drive them off so he can go into the water. However, he got the opposite reaction.

"Would you look at that?" The blonde woman grinned. "Handsome _and_ smart too. He has a very good vocabluary."

"Oh I just adore handsome, smart guys!" The brunette said with a pout. "They're very rare to find nowadays!"

"Um..." Yuui then yelped as the two girls got closer.

"So what's your name?"

"Are you from here?"

"You must be a foreigner!"

"Oh, foreigners are so hot!"

"Especially blonde ones!"

Yuui nervously grinned as he backed up a few steps. _'Oh lord, it's like high-school all over again...except without brother coming in making it worse.'_

* * *

><p>Syaoron swam into the deeper waters to jump amgost the waves when he saw Watanuki swimming towards him. He grinned. "Hey, Watanuki. I thought you hated going into the deep waters."<p>

Watanuki frowned. "I wanted to get away from that jerk." He looked around with a bit of paranoia. "Apparently, he's underwater somewhere and I bet he's trying to scare me." He then crossed his arms over the water. "I feel much safer with you."

Shrugging, Syaoron smiled. "As long as you can keep up with me and jump the waves."

"Right."

"Hey!"

The two looked over and saw Takamoto and Hana swimming towards them.

"Hey guys." Takamoto smiled. "Just wanted to jump the waves with you guys if that's okay."

"Sure." Syaoron nodded.

"It's fine." Watanuki waved it off.

Hana in her inner tube floated her way over to the trio. She had a small smile on her face as she was holding something green and slimy. "I found some seaweed."

"Hana!" Takamoto took the piece of seaweed away from her. "You know you shouldn't be picking weird stuff from the bottom. It's not safe." He then paused as he realized that he was still holding the seaweed. He threw it away.

"Oh come on." Syaoron chuckled. "It's not that bad. I'm sure she didn't mean to. It's the beach."

"Yeah." Watanuki agreed with a apologetic smile. "And besides, there are much weirder things lurking underneath the waters-AH!" He moved away suddenly as he felt something almost grabbing one of his legs. He swam quickly to Hana and hugged the side of her tube. "W-W-W-What was that?"

Syaoron saw bubbles coming up to the surface. "I think I have an idea."

Slowly emerging from the waters was Doumeki who had a small mouth piece that made breathing underwater a bit easier. "Hey."

"Wow." Takamoto exclaimed. "I never knew that Horitsuba students can scuba dive like pros."

"No, that's just Doumeki." Syaoron shook his head. Smiling, he turned his head to the stoic teen. "Having fun?"

Doumeki nodded.

"Good; just one question;where you get that mouth piece?" Syaoron pointed to what was now in Doumeki's hand. "I never seen that before."

"It's a gift that one of the neighbors of my grandparents gave. The neighbor's young relative makes this stuff." Doumeki explained. "It's actually just a prototype. Wasn't even sure it would work."

"Well apparently it _did_." Watanuki glared at the stoic teen. "Because of your idiotic antics, I was scared half to death!" He didn't' let go of Hana's tube. "What were you thinking, pulling a trick like that? We're in deep water for pate's sake!"

"...because it was fun." Doumeki stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's not fun when someone gets a heart attack!" Watanuki shouted.

Takamoto leaned over at Syaoron with a confused look. "Are they always like this?"

"Yep." Syaoron nodded. "At school and anywhere else. In fact, not a day goes by that this sort of bickering doesn't happen." He chuckled. "We hear it so much, it's grown to be a part of our lives."

"Oh." Takamoto smiled. "I see. I guess if I was studying at the Horitsuba academy, this may have been what I would be seeing everyday, huh?"

"More or less." Syaoron smiled back. "But I think you'd fit right in with our little group."

Takamoto blinked. "Y-You think so?" He glanced at the bickering duo and Hana who patted Watanuki's head; trying to calm him down.

"You're already fitting in." Syaoron patted Takamoto on the shoulder. "So yeah, you would."

Smiling gratefully, Takamoto grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Just then Hana's eyes started to wonder along the sandy beach and caught something rather particular. "Takamoto."

"Hmm?" Both he and Syaoron were turning their attention to the younger girl. "What is it?"

Lifting her finger, Hana pointed at the beach. "Yuui's with some people."

Seeing where she was pointing, Syaoron's eyes saw Yuui who was indeed with some people. In fact a group of people; a group of girls. The girls were ganging up on Yuui; smiling and flirting with the man. He can practically see hearts popping out of their heads as they were fan-girling around the blonde. What made it worse though was Yuui giving in to them and laughing with them. Smiling like he's never smiled before. Like he was enjoying their company more then anything. It sparked something nasty in him.

"Syaoron...?" Takamoto piped up. "Are you okay?"

Watanuki and Doumeki stopped their antics long enough to see Syaoron's eyes turn dark and angry.

Even Hana was slightly surprised at the boy's expression.

"Syaoron." Watanuki called out. "Hey Syaoron!"

Blinking out of his daze, the anger in his eyes dissipated a bit as he turned towards his friends. He smiled sweetly. "Oh, sorry." He rubbed the back of his head. "I got a bit distracted. Um...you know what?" He pointed away. "I'm...going back to the house and get from rest. I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Oh um...okay..." Watanuki trailed off as Syaoron swam away from them to dry land. Once there the group saw Syaoron glancing at Yuui with those girls once more before going to the the group spot and picking his things. The blue-eyed teen gulped. "You don't think...?" He looked over at Tomoyo, Sakura and Syaoran who were near the surface with shocked expressions on their faces. However, Syaoran was looking at Syaoron the entire time. Guess they saw it too.

Takamoto looked away with a frown.

Doumeki placed his mouth peice back on his mouth and shrugged.

Hana moved her legs under the water as she leaned on her tube. "No more fun."

* * *

><p>"God, I never thought I can get away from those girls." Yuui groaned as he stepped into the ocean. He shivered at the cold temperature the water seemed to have before going deeper. Once chest deep, Yuui moved around a bit to warm himself up.<p>

"Yuui-sensei!"

Looking over, the blonde saw Sakura and Tomoyo swimming towards him.

"I told you guys, during vacation I'm just Yuui." The blonde smiled brightly at the girls. "I was just getting into the water; sorry."

"It's okay." Sakura smiled. "As long as you got in."

Tomoyo nodded. "Now that you're here, we can have some fun~!" She cheered.

"Alright." Yuui then looked around. His smiled turned into a lsight frown. "That's weird."

"What is it?"

"I could have sworn that Syaoron would be in the water too. I mean he wanted to drag me and all." Yuui added. He missed the looks that the girls were giving away. "I think he's into the deeper water then." He started moving. "I'll go check."

"No!" Sakura shouted. She then blushed at her outburst. "I mean...Syaoron's...not in the water."

Yuui blinked. "He's not? Well where is he?"

Tomoyo swam in front of Sakura. "Back at the house, he didn't feel so well so he had to cut the merriment short and get some rest."

"Oh...but he was fine a while ago." Yuui muttered. He then shrugged. "I guess being in the water too long must have upset his head or something." He then glanced over and saw Takamoto and the rest of the gang waving at him. "Oh well, I guess I'll make do with them." He joked. "Are you sure he's okay?"

"Of course." Tomoyo smiled. "Just needed a nap is all."

With that Yuui nodded and swam to the rest of the group.

Watching the cooking teacher leave, Sakura glanced worriedly at Tomoyo. "A...Are you sure it's okay not to say what really happened?"

"It's not our place to say." Tomoyo patted Sakura on the shoulder. "Eventually it will be brought to light but for now we need Syaoron to cool down a bit before anything else happens."

Still feeling a bit unsure, Sakura nodded. "I guess so..." She then smiled. "Then it's a good thing Syaoran went with him."

"That's true." Tomoyo nodded. "If anyone can help Syaoron right now would be his own twin brother."

* * *

><p>"Nii-san..." Syaoran opened the door to the house to find himself alone. "Nii-san, are you in here?" He was genuinely worried about his older brother. One minute everyone was playing the water, having a good time and the next, they were staring at Syaoron who suddenly had a change in heart and deiced to sit out of being at the beach. Syaoran wasn't some genius but didn't take someone very smart to know what was going on.<p>

And it was hurting him almost as much as his brother.

Walking through the living room, Syaoran entered the kitchen. Thankfully, he spotted his brother who was sitting around the table; staring at his cell phone. Frowning, Syaoran took a few steps over to him. "Nii-san...? Are you alright?" He then took a seat next to Syaoron. "You kinda surprised everyone back there."

Still staring at his cell phone, Syaoron sighed. "You saw it too, didn't you?"

"Um..." Syaoran fiddled with his fingers. "...Maybe...?"

Closing his eyes, Syaoron closed his cell phone and shoved it away from him. "I knew it. It was too good to be true."

"What's too good to be true?" Syaoran asked.

"_This_." Syaoron waved his hands around. "What Yuui and I have. Our relationship." He glared at his cell phone. "It'd only be a matter of time before some chick will come by sweep him off his feet." He scowled. "I have accepted the fact that nothing lasts forever but that doesn't mean I like it."

"You don't know that." Syaoran shook his head. "What you and Yuui have is very special. You two defy the odds and went through a lot of obstacles that came with having that kind of relationship." He smiled a bit. "Yes, it's an odd relationship at first but I have never seen you so happy when you're with Yuui-sensei and vice-versa."

"You didn't see him!" Syaoron suddenly shouted. "He was smiling and laughing with those chicks! I bet anyone of those girls think they have a shot with him. Just flirting with him and laughing their heads off." He darkly glanced at the table. "I just can't believe them! I mean who they think they are?"

Blinking at Syaoron's tone and attitude, it took all of Syaoran's self-control...not to laugh. "Nii-san...a...are you _jealous_?"

Eyes widening, Syaoron stared incredulously at his younger brother. "W-What?" He then crossed his arms. "I'm certainly _not_ jealous. I'm just saying that if Yuui wants any of those women then be my guest. Like they are any better."

Smiling, Syaoran took his brother's cell phone. "I don't know nii-san, that sounds like jealousy to me." It was very odd to see his brother acting so out of character in terms of emotions. But then again love can do that to a person and Syaoron was no exception. "Besides, I doubt Yuui would do something like that to you."

"And what makes you say that?" Syaoron asked.

"Well for one thing, he has you." When Syaoron didn't say a word, Syaoran continued. "And according to Fai, even before knowing you, he hasn't been in a lot of relationships; especially with girls. And he's a man of his word. He'd never hurt someone on any level. Of course you'd know that, right?"

"..." Syaoron's eyes down-casted as he felt a bit bad. Maybe he was a bit jealous; _maybe_. Though what Syaoran had said was true. Yuui wouldn't toss him aside for some chick but he couldn't help but think of the worse. Yuui was a grown man who can have anyone. While he was grateful that he chose Syaoron to be with him, it didn't mean it was smooth sailing from there on out. He knew there would be problems.

But still...

Opening Syaoron's cell phone, Syaoran pressed a few buttons. "I know that what happened seemed bad, but what I've learned is that you can't read too much of every little thing. Because it distracts you from the big picture." He chuckled. "Oddly enough, Kurogane-sensei told me that once." He showed Syaoron the screen. "See this picture?"

Syaoron looked over and blinked. It was one of the pictures from the wedding. He asked Yuui to dance and just...forget. Oh how Yuui looked so happy to be in his arms and just waltz in their own little world; if only for a few minutes. He nodded.

"Now this picture say a thousand words. I don't know much about love but...according to this, Yuui-sensei seems very happy just to be with you. And you're with him. Not some girl; with you." Syaoran then smiled. "And what you guys have is something that no one else can do for either one of you; not even family."

Rolling his eyes, Syaoron sighed and took back his phone. "Yeah, yeah. I'm jealous; I'm the jealous girlfriend in this scenario." He chuckled as he bopped Syaoran's head gently with his fist. "I'm just...feel a bit down or something."

"It's okay." Syaoran said as he took his brother's hand and held it. "I'd be surprised if you didn't feel that way at some point. Yuui's your first love afterall; it's okay to feel jealous as long as you don't let it eat you and your relationship."

"Since when you get so knowledgeable about love?" Syaoron smirked. "Did you finally confessed to Sakura?"

With his face suddenly red, Syaoran shook his head. "N-N-No! It's not like that!" He waved his hands around. "I just..." He looked away. "Y-Yuuko-sensei has a lot of novels laying around and I was getting bored a few times so..."

"Ah..." Syaoron chuckled. "I see. Well then I guess that means we have to try a little harder next time." He stood up and walked to the frigde.

"Eh? Who's 'we'?" Syaoran asked. "And what do you mean 'try a little harder'?" He was never this confused in his life...well...among other things.

"Oh nothing." Syaoron said as he took out two cans of soda. "Just muttering to myself. Here, catch." He toss one.

Syaoran caught it without difficulty. He opened the can and took a sip. "So...what happens now?"

"..." Drinking his soda, Syaoron shrugged. "Dunno. Does Yuui know I'm here? Though I should have ask that before."

"Yes but hopefully he doesn't know why." Syaoran said.

"Good...because he hears about me being... jealous, I'll never hear the end of it." Syaoron should thank his lucky stars that he left when he could. Hopefully he didn't make too big of a scene because of it.

* * *

><p>[Later]<p>

"So does anyone want to tell a story?"

The entire group was sitting around the campfire as the moon was starting to rise. After the little tiff between the Li' twins, Syaoron thought it's be best to forget the whole ordeal and try to enjoy the rest of the day. Though he'd be lying if he said that the jealousy wasn't completely went away.

"I think I have one." Syaoran raised his hand. "It's about when Nii-san first came to the academy."

"Oh!" Takamoto exclaimed. "Really? I thought you two went to the academy together." He was sitting on a log with Hana in his arms. The girl was having so much fun that she got exhausted by the time the group returned. It took a lot of effort for the teenager to get her dry and changed. But seeing her peaceful face while sleeping made it worth it.

"Nope." Sakura shook her head with a smile. "Syaoran came to the academy before Syaoron. For a while I thought he was an only child." She giggled with a little blush dusting her cheeks.

"That's okay Sakura." Tomoyo smiled. "I bet anyone who has met Syaoran was made that assumption before. I sure had."

"I didn't know Syaoron came later then Syaoran." Yuui spoke. "Afterall, I came to the academy much later." It never occurred to him just how Syaoron came into the picture before he came. He thought that the twins came to the academy together. Shows him what he knows. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Syaoron smile slightly. He smiled back.

"I thought Syaoran was an only child too." Watanuki said as his head was on Doumeki's shoulder. "That is until I overheard Yuuko-sensei one day about Syaoran and someone related to him will be transferring to the academy. Though the stuff that comes out of the chairman's mouth every time, I decided to forget about it."

"I had no idea." Doumeki grunted.

"So tell me how it happened." Takamoto said with curiosity. "I would love to hear it."

"I think we all do." Sakura giggled.

"Okay well..." Syaoran cleared his throat. "It all started during the school festivals. Class B and C were doing a cafe and..."

Yuui listened as Syaoran told the story about how Syaoron came to the academy. For the most part it was amusing. He couldn't think of a day in his own years in school that something that spontaneous happened. However as he was hearing this, his eyes caught Tomoyo moving over to Syaoron and whisper something in his ear. The male smiled and whispered back to her. Tomoyo looked unconvinced for some reason as Syaoron waved it off. The blonde's eyes narrowed.

" uui...Yuui!"

"Huh?" The cooking teacher looked up and saw Sakura tapping on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"You seem to be staring into space." Sakura frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Of course." Yuui smiled. "I was just thinking of my days at school."

"Oh that's right." Takamoto responded. "You're not from here." He chuckled. "You're from Europe, right?"

Yuui nodded. "Yes, France to be exact." He then glanced over at Syaoron who was smiling but didn't exactly reach his eyes. He has seen it so much from his own twin. Coughing, Yuui sat up straight and grinned. "Now, what story should I tell you all about?" He then clasped his hands. "I know, how about the time me and my brother have switched places to get a classmate in trouble?"

"You what?" Watanuki asked with wide eyes.

"Oh yes." Yuui snickered. "Believe me, twins who are bored and have creative minds can cause all kinds of trouble."

Syaoran and Syaoron exchanged glances with snickers of their own.

* * *

><p>[Nighttime]<p>

Yuui stepped into the bedroom with yawn. He had told a few stories about his life in France; including one time that a girl asked him out to a junior high dance which he got a kiss on the cheek when it was over. However, he couldn't help but noticed that Syaoron was a bit tense then normal. When the cooking teacher was talking about how pretty his date was in a dress, he thought he heard a scoff coming from his other.

It made him wonder what happened to Syaoron to make him be that way?

"Yo Yuui, are you in here?"

The cooking teacher turned around to see Syaoron leaning on the doorway. He smiled. "Oh Syaoron, hey there. You going to bed too?"

"Yeah." Syaoron shrugged. "Today has been very tiring." _'Physically and __emotionally.' _He added in his head.

"Heh, don't I know it." Yuui chuckled. "I never thought the beach would be this eventful." He started to take off his shirt as he went to a drawer to take out his pajamas. "You should have seen me. If I knew that the beach was filled with so many people, I would have gone sooner." He missed the slightly upset look Syaoron had. "I knew that I was decent looking but I never would have thought a girl would look twice at me." He chuckled. "It felt like middle and high school again only less awkward..."

The more Yuui talked, Syaoron's expression was turning darker and darker. He gritted his teeth and clenching his fists. His breathing has gotten deeper and deeper as his control to clam down was slipping. _'It's not a big deal, it's not a big deal...'_

"God, at least I knew what Kurogane had to endure during his high-school, being around so many girls who want you. You wouldn't believe how many girls were going at me and there was this one girl who despite how cute she was-"

_'THAT'S IT!' _

***SMASH***

Yuui stopped cold as he saw Syaoron. The boy was breathing deeply and had a dark frown on his face. He couldn't see his eyes however as it was covered by his hair. Though what was really shocking was the huge crack on the wall. What was connected was the boy's fist. It was shaking and it was probably bruising at that moment. The blonde blinked. "S-Syaoron-"

"Quiet!" Syaoron shouted. "Just-quiet!" He released his hand from the wall he hissed in pain. He then glanced at Yuui who was both scared and confused. The guilt of the outburst was now weighing him down.

"S-Syaoron...what are you-"

The boy groaned as he stomped away. "I'm getting some fresh air."

Yuui winced as the door slammed. He then bit his lip in confusion. What was _that_ all about?

* * *

><p>Syaoron sighed as he was walking along the edges if the beach with the moon shining down at him. "God, I'm such an idiot. I scared the crap out of him." He talked to himself. The waves of the ocean barely touching his feet. "It's ridiculous. There's no way I should feel this vain. It's Yuui for god's sake, there's nothing wrong about the whole situtation. And there's no way I'm still...<em>jealous<em> over some stupid girls ogling over him; who can give more to Yuui then I can ever hope to give." _'And I'm an idiot for believing it.'_

"You...You're jealous?"

Widening his eyes, Syaoron turned around and saw Yuui standing not too far from him. The cooking teacher had a shocked but still confused expression on his face.

"I-I...what?" For once in a long time, Syaoron was speechless.

"You said...you were jealous." Yuui said with a little more confidence. "Is that what you were so mad about?"

Frowning at the blonde, Syaoron shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Syaoron."Yuui firmly started. "Your hand's bruising and your eyes betray your words." He crossed his arms. "Please...just...tell me..."

"Fine!" Syaoron snapped. "Maybe I am a _little_ angry and maybe even a _little_ jealous. But why do you care? Just a while ago, you were worried about me just ditching you for some girl but it never occurred to you that maybe you might feel differently later in life?"

"What are you talking about?" Yuui asked.

"I'm talking about _this_!" Syaoron gestured to himself and Yuui. "Us! This relationship we're having. I mean it's bad enough that I have feeling for a blonde let alone a teacher! But then my teenage mind just couldn't help but think of how life would be if I didn't know you! Would it be better or would it be worse? I never had that problem before because I was so confident that whatever obstacle we had to go through, we'll conquer it but now-" He exhaled. "I...I don't _know_ anymore..."

Yuui watched as the strong young man that he knew and care go through the same emotional turmoil as he did. Seems that they both had worries and insecurities that they hold back inside.

Feeling tired and defeated, Syaoron sank to the ground on his knees. "I realized that I'm being a big baby about it...but..." He covered half his face with his hand. "But I really want you to be happy and I promised your brother that no matter what that I would. But there's just some things that I can't give you; nothing that some other girl _can_."

_'So that's it.' _Yuui frowned at the boy. He didn't think it would lead up to this. He supposed along the lines, that kind of thinking would happen sooner or later. And he'd be lying if he said that he had doubts too. But to hear and see Syaoron like this...it was almost...wrong. He sighed.

_'That's it.'_ Syaoron thought. _'Yuui will think I'm an idiot and won't speak to me again.' _However he had a shock of his life when he felt warm slender arms wrapping around him. His head was then pressed gently on the cooking teacher's chest. "...Yuui..."

"Shut up." Yuui frowned. "I don't _ever_ want to hear you say those words again." His hold tightened a bit. "I hate...to see you like this. You're so strong, Syaoron. In ways that I'll never be. And that's what I admire about you. You never give up and you never back down." He chuckled. "You're brave, smart and saying things as it is. I don't care about those other girls and I don't care that you would say otherwise because...I can't..." Yuui's shoulders shook. "I can't imagine a life without you."

With eyes widening, Syaoron did his best to hug back. "...Yuui."

"_You've_ been _my_ happiness." Yuui continued. "And hear you say things like that make me sad; not for me but for you. You had to hold your head up high and take all the crap that I was afraid to endure. I'm the older one; I should be the one to protect you and make you happy too." He nuzzled on top of Syaoron's head. "It alright to be jealous every once in a while because to me, it's a sign that you still care for me. A bit overprotective but still. So...just...stop, okay? Stop putting yourself down and don't ever think that just because I smile at some girl doesn't mean I'd be happier with her then with you. Besides..." He let go just enough to look at Syaoron. "You've given me more then anyone has ever given me...and that's good enough for me."

Syaoron stared at Yuui with shock. He couldn't speak; he couldn't _breathe_. He just sat there in Yuui's arms, staring into those sapphire eyes. Then...his eyes started to water. His vision was getting watery he tried to blink it away but they just keep coming. He placed his head on Yuui's shoulder and let the tears come out. Other then the occasional whimper, Syaoron didn't utter a sound.

Smiling softly, Yuui felt himself started to cry too. "I-It's okay. It's okay." He hugged the boy tightly again. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p>"Oh...you're back."<p>

Yuui and Syaoron were slightly surprised to see Hana reading a book in the living room. They have been gone for a few hours into the night. They thought everyone was either in bed or sleeping right now.

"Hello Hana." Yuui greeted politely as Syaoron closed the front door. "What are you doing up? You know a young lady like yourself needs to get some sleep."

Closing the book and putting it next to her, Hana smiled slightly. "Couldn't sleep. Takamoto was tired taking care of me." Her eyes trailed to Syaoron and eventually his hand. She frowned. "You're hurt."

"Huh?" Syaoron then lifted his hand and chuckled. "Oh right, my hand. Yeah..." He rubbed his neck. "Funny story actually. You see-"

"You punched a wall." Hana interrupted. "It's okay. Everyone knows." It wasn't much of a secret to anyone. After all, the walls were thin as they were and that punch echoed through the halls. "We all wondered what was that about but Tomoyo said someone had a tiff and it'd be alright later."

It would amuse Yuui to no end, Syaoron decided, if he were to blush right there and then for that little act he put on. But he wasn't going to give the guy the satisfaction. He huffed. "Yeah well...it's fine now. Everything's back to normal."

Yuui raised an eyebrow.

"Okay not everything." Syaoron sighed. "But it's still fine." He then grabbed Yuui's hand and led him to the stairs. "You may not be tired Hana but I am. So we're going to bed now."

The cooking teacher smiled at the boy. "Yeah, I'm quite tired myself. Are you going to be okay all by yourself?"

"Yes." Hana nodded. "I'll be up soon anyway Good night."

The pair return the gesture before running up the stairs and to their bedroom.

Hana sat there for what seemed like hours though in reality it was just a couple of minute. She reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a cell phone and pressed some buttons. She waited for the other line to pick up. _Click _"Hi Tomoyo. I just saw Yuui and Syaoron...no, they said they're fine. Mm-hm, okay. I'll go to bed soon. Bye." She hung up and picked up her book. She started reading with a thought came to her.

"I wonder why Syaoron's neck also had a bruise on it."

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Yes! Finally I managed to finish a chapter. OTL<em>

_Don't worry, just one more chapter and it's the end of the summer arc and unto the rest of the story~!_

_Someone kill me._


	6. Sono Hana

I decided to pay attention to this story from now on. I do have other stories but since I left this alone for too long, I might as well get it back up again. Besides, if it wasn't for _Leia de Fluorite_ I probablywouldn't even be _writing_ this. I thank you, sweetie. *smiles*

Also...

The more I read _Gate 7_ the less I'm sure about Hana's character. If I said that before, sorry. It's kinda hard to get something out a character in a story that's only 12 chapters...and barely is in for the last couple. Don't get me wrong, I like her. I just don't _get_ her. Her character might change if I decide to bring her and the _Gate 7_ gang back. But hey, you never know. But you guys want to then tell me and I'll think of something.

Regardless, enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Sono Hana (That flower)<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Ah, Kyoto! At last!"<em>

"…_.I think you'd fit in with our little group."_

"_Huh? I wonder what the commotion is about."_

"_It's okay mommy. I miss daddy too."_

"…_you know you shouldn't be picking weird things from the bottom."_

"_Sorry sweetie, your mom has to take a trip for a while."_

"_You like noodles?"_

"_"You wouldn't believe the stuff that I went through during a short period of my life. Sometimes I wonder if I'm in a dream or something."_

"_HEY! LOOK OUT!"_

* * *

><p>Takamoto's eyes shit open as the sunlight was seeping into the room. Groaning, he pulled off the covers and sat up. "Oh man, not again." He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Oh, it's early." Spotting his glasses, he picked them up and put them on. He looked over at his side and saw that Hana was sleeping soundly; her face peaceful and still.<p>

With a small but sift smile, Takamoto got out of the bed and made sure that the younger girl is deprived of sleep. He knew that she went to bed later then he did last night. As he was changing into something simple, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of dread in his heart.

'_I'm glad that you're having fun Hana. But I worry about you…'_

* * *

><p>"Hey, look who's up."<p>

Takamoto politely smiled as he spotted Yuui, Syaoron and Watanuki in the kitchen. "Good morning, guys. Slept well?" He took a seat at the table next to Syaoron who was looking over his cell phone; possibly checking for texts.

Yuui and Watanuki were over at the stove cooking the morning's meal which consisted of eggs, toast, bacon and noodles. The noodles are for a certain someone.

"I've slept okay." Syaoron shrugged. "I wasn't too tired last night though but I was _very_ relaxed. Wasn't I, Yuui?" He grinned.

Takamoto glanced over at Yuui whose face had a bit of pink on it.

"I suppose you can say that, yes." Though Yuui's voice was monotone a bit, there was no denying the shaking of his shoulders or the blush that Watanuki was sporting as well. "How do you like your eggs, Syaoron?"

"Scrambled, thanks." Syaoron winked at the blonde.

"Anyway," Watanuki spoke up. "I slept pretty well too… though I can do without the loud snoring of that behemoth." He grumbled under his breath about 'lazy jerks' and 'how can anyone sleep with that noise'.

Chuckling, Takamoto crossed his arms over the table. "It's nice though. To be with friends at the beach. I rarely had friends to begin with."

"Huh?" Yuui glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "But you're in highschool. Surely you have plenty of friends to talk to." He slightly frowned as the boy chuckled.

"You would think that but between my love for Kyoto, my studies and helping my mom on a daily basis, having a social life was hard to keep. Even the people that I do have for friends don't hang out with me much." Takamoto didn't mind much. He was the type of person who like a bit of solitude. So having one or even two people by his side was already a blessing.

"…." Syaoron smiled at the calm expression Takamoto had on his face. He chuckled as he went back to his phone. _'Guess he handles loneliness better then I thought.'_

"Morning, everyone~!"

Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo and Doumeki were entering the kitchen. Syaoran was yawning, covering his mouth with his hand. Sakura and Tomoyo were walking hand-in-hand while laughing about something. Doumeki was as indifferent as ever when he took a seat at the table; joining Syaoron and Takamoto.

"Hey." Doumeki greeted.

"Sup." Syaoron nodded.

Takamoto looked between the two with a slightly confused expression. "G-Good morning, Doumeki. I trust you slept well."

"Hm." The stoic teen nodded.

"….."

"Don't worry. It's not you." Syaoron glanced at the teen. "Doumeki isn't usually one for idle conversation." He then grinned brightly. "Though a few words from him can cause a riot."

"What do you mean by that-?"

"Oi." Doumeki called out to Watanuki.

"For the millionth freaking time, my name's not 'oi'!" Watanuki shouted as he had three plates with him. He slammed one in front of the stoic teen. "You're lucky I'm making food for everyone or I'd let you starve, you ungrateful jerk!"

Takamoto watched as Watanuki went off on a rant while Doumeki covered his ears. He felt a pat on the shoulder and saw Yuui smiling down at him.

"It's a very normal thing." Yuui answered the teen's unspoken question.

Tomoyo, Syaoran and Sakura sat themselves at the table with plates of food. They all smiled as they started eating and talking about various subjects like school and travel.

Takamoto watched all of that with a relaxing smile. _'So this is what being in a group of friends is like.' _

"Say, Takamoto." Tomoyo turned her attention to the teen. "Where's Hana? Is she sleeping in?"

"Yeah." Takamoto chuckled. "She did go to bed later last night. I was surprised I didn't hear her come in." He supposed that he was so tired the day before that he couldn't wake up to see her even if he wanted to. He knew that the girl can take care of herself but he couldn't help but be concerned. _'After all the reason she and I even met was—'_

"Hana."

Takamoto along with the group saw the younger girl leaning on the doorway; covered with a blanket and rubbing her tired eyes. Smiling, he went over to her and patted her on the head. "Good morning, Hana. I hope we didn't wake you or anything."

The girl shook her head. "I'm fine." Then her head move up a bit as a cute expression was on her face. "Noodles?"

Yuui almost gushed on how adorable Hana was looking at that moment. "Of course. A bowl of noodles with some eggs and pieces of bacon." He got up and served a bowl for Hana. As soon as the girl sat down with the rest of the gang; he placed the bowl with a fork in front of her. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Hana's eyes shined at the bowl before her. Then she dug her fork into the noodles with a giggle.

_*FLASH*_

Tomoyo grinned mischievously. "There's a picture that says a thousand words." When she looked up from her camera, there were eyes on her. "What?"

"Tomoyo…" Syaoron shook his head. "Sometimes you can be very sneaky. What are you, a ninja?"

"Like you're one to talk." Tomoyo stuck out her tongue. "How about that _bruise_ on your neck? Still not going away?"

Yuui promptly choked on his eggs as Syaoron pulled up the shirt collar with a frown. Watanuki and Syaoran had wide eyes while Sakura and Takamoto blushed. Hana was too busy eating to notice and Doumeki's lips twitched upwards.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Syaoron answered too quickly. He looked away with a slight blush.

"Sure I don't." Tomoyo chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Ah, this feels nice."<p>

"Yeah, it actually does."

Out in the ocean were Syaoron and Yuui. Because of the situation yesterday, this time they were the first ones in the water. The others were on the sand, playing ball and bashing a watermelon to bits.

"It was sweet of Hana to let us borrow the inner tube for a while." Yuui smiled.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she wanted us to have it." Syaoron grinned back.

Yuui was currently holding Syaoron from behind while they were stuck inside the tube. It was relaxing on many levels and the group agreed that they needed some alone time in the water. It was great for the blonde; he can both be in the ocean and hold his boyfriend as long as he want to.

….Not that he couldn't before.

Leaning on the teen's head, Yuui closed his eyes and felt the coolness of the water brushed through his body. After the morning's incident, he made a mental note that he shouldn't mark on Syaoron's skin even if he would like to. He had standards too.

Syaoron sighed as he felt the warmth of the blonde behind him and the cool waters around his legs. "So…have you noticed?"

"Hmm?" Yuui opened his eyes slowly. "Noticed what?"

"Takamoto." Syaoron answered. "He seems to be a little on edge." He felt Yuui shifting a bit behind him. "It's like he's scared of something. I know we just become friends but I couldn't help myself."

"New or old, you're worried about your friends." Yuui chuckled with a cheerful tone. "It's normal." He then frowned a bit. "But you are right about that. Takamoto is another person entirely. No father, dragged to another area without his mom and not having too much friends. He seems stronger then I give him credit for."

"Or maybe he hides it better." Syaoron argued. "Either way, he's a very practical guy. But whenever Hana's around; he's either very happy or very protective." _'Though it's hard to tell at this point.' _

"Of course he would be protective." Yuui added. "Hana's far away from home and without parents so Takamoto has to take care of her." Then a thought came to him. "Does Hana even have parents?"

Syaoron blinked. "I…I don't know. That never occurred to me until you mentioned it." It may be ignorance on his part but he assumed that Hana had parents but it was mentioned that she had guardians. In his head, if someone calls anyone a guardian, it meant one thing. "Poor girl."

"You had the same thought?" Yuui asked sympathetically. He leaned closer to Syaoron. "I wouldn't worry. I'm sure there's an explanation for it. They just don't want to say it for reasons we may not understand. Give them time."

"…." Syaoron nodded. "You're right. Maybe I'm reading too much into it." He felt a pair of warm lips on the nape of his neck. He turned his head and saw Yuui smiling amusingly at him.

"You're a smart young man, Syaoron." Yuui added. "But sometimes it's best to be a little ignorant."

* * *

><p>The trouble started when Hana sneezed. It was a normal; out-of-the-blue sneeze. The group didn't think too much on it; assuming that the girl got out of the water and forgot to dry herself off. It was natural considering how cold you get when air hits wet skin. It happens.<p>

However for Takamoto, it spelled disaster waiting to happen.

"Come on Hana, let's get you some medicine."

Hana let the older boy take her to the bathroom. She sat on the top of the toilet in a towel wrapped around her body as her hair was dripping from being in the ocean. Her big dark eyes glanced at him as Takamoto was looking through the medicine cabinet.

After some scuffling noises, Takamoto exclaimed with a smile of relief. "Here it is." Taking a small jar out of the cabinet, he opened the lid and propped one pill into his hand. "It's a good think that Yuuko lady has the medicine cabinet in stock. I wonder if she had an idea someone would get sick." Shrugging, he went over to Hana and gently took her hand. "Here. It should make you feel a bit better for now."

Softly clenching the pill in her hand, Hana nodded. "Are you scared?"

Blinking, Takamoto chuckled. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

* * *

><p>Yuui leaned on the side of the car, just taking in the evening air. It was calm and a bit cold but he didn't mind. The rest of the gang were inside the car, playing some games as they wait for the fireworks to appear. There was some talk among the beach about a groups of random tourists buying some and hoping to launch them at night. As it was a public beach there were rules to follow. But like any excited person, it would be launched somewhere and the culprits hidden from sight.<p>

No matter where you turn; there's always surprises.

"It's a bit lonely being by yourself, don't you think?"

The blonde smiled. "And yet you can't seem to get away from me. Isn't that right, Syaoron?"

The brunette chuckled as he leaned next to Yuui; watching the stars appearing in the night sky. "Wouldn't even If I could." He then held out a hand with a grin.

Blushing, Yuui took that hand and squeezed it slightly. "So...what are they doing now?"

"Oh, they just started playing uno cards." Syaoron nodded his head over at the back. "It's a good thing sound is somewhat muted from the inside. I just got my hearing back for all the screaming Watanuki was doing. I told Doumeki you can't cheat at Uno. There's nothing to cheat with." He laughed softly. "Though it was funny to see Sakura and lil' bro blushing like crazy when their hands brush each others' when they were trying to pick up a fallen card. Tomoyo is really a ninja; where does she even _hide_ that camera?"

Yuui listened as Syaoron continued to talk. It was nice to see that the incident between the two pass without much tear in the relationship. But he learned that in a relationship, you have to take baby steps. There will be conflict and there will be pain. But with enough patience and confidence, they might be able to make it. And they will. That made the cooking teacher smile a bit.

Syaoron stole a glance as he was still talking. His smile widened as he noticed that Yuui was happy and showing it. That was a good sign. "...And then Doumeki got out his cell phone and started taking pictures of Watanuki going at him, like he's saving that for blackmail though I doubt it. Though before that..." He trailed off as he saw someone walking away from the car. "Hey...Yuui."

"Hmm?" Yuui blinked. "Yes? What is it?"

The boy's eyes narrowed at the person walking towards the beach. "It's Hana."

* * *

><p>Hana wasn't feeling too well so she wanted to take a walk along the beach. She told Takamoto that she'd be right back. He was hesitant but he let her go, on the account that she shouldn't be gone for too long. Finding the sand a bit soft for the moment, she decided to sit and look up at the crescent moon that was hovering over the ocean like a light in the dark water. Threading her hair through her fingers, she wondered if the moon was the same on the other side of the world.<p>

_"Hana, you shouldn't be out without a sweater."_

_"It's okay. Everyone has a bug sometimes."_

_"Try to get some rest, you've gone over your limit again."_

_"Don't wonder off. We can't have you get hurt."_

"Hana?"

The girl turned her head to see Yuui and Syaoron standing behind her. He eyes wondered down and saw that they were holding hands. "Hi." She simply said.

"Are you okay?" Syaoron asked as they get close to the girl. "You seem to be a bit different when you left the car. Is everything okay?"

"..." Hana looked back at the ocean with slightly sad eyes. "I wanted to move. That's all."

Frowning, Yuui let go of Syaoron's hand (with much hesitance) and sat next to the girl on the sand. He on the left and Syaoron on the right. He gently touched Hana's forehead and made a noise of disappointment. "Oh dear. Sweetie, you're a bit warm. You shouldn't even be here. You should be at the house, resting." He was then surprised as he heard a bit of soft laughter coming from the girl.

"That's what Tachibana would say." Hana smiled.

"Wait, you mean this has happened before?" Syaoron asked with a frown.

Hana nodded. "I'm not very strong." Her smile became a bit sad. "The doctors say that I have a weak immune system. I would fine one day and be very bad the next. Sakura-kun and Tachibana would worry about me because of that." She sighed. It started when she was about a two or three years old. She was just adopted by those two men when she remembered being at a hospital and barely awake. She was just playing around in the park and it was a bit cold. After that she was protected very strictly; making sure that incident wouldn't happen again.

However...

"Oh I see." Yuui responded. "Well you are a growing girl." He placed a finger under his chin. "It could be a strained gene from either your mom, dad or both that could be responsible. But they have a right to be worried regardless. People with weak immune systems don't fare too well unlike other people."

"I knew someone like that." Syaoron spoke up. "He was a classmate I knew before coming here. He had a weak immune system too. He had to skip school a lot when he was down. I visit him a couple time to bring in some homework."

Hana can understand that. She missed a lot of school too. In fact, she was gone for an entire month because of a flu she had that got out of hand. She was very close to going to the hospital then.

"Does Takamoto know?" Yuui asked; snapping Hana out of her thinking. "About your condition, does he know?"

"Of course he does." Syaoron retorted softly. "It would explain why he was on edge lately." When Hana sneezed one time, Takamoto nearly had a heart attack and dragged the girl back to the house. He never saw the guy so frightened before. "That must be why he's protective of you...only..."

"Only what?" Yuui looked at the boy.

"That's not the main reason though...is it?" Syaoron then grinned at the girl.

Hana smiled as a faint blush graced her cheeks. She nodded.

"You're kidding." Yuui had to laugh at that. "Why didn't I see that coming?" He then patted her head softly. "It's okay. There's nothing wrong with liking him. I think it's great."

"So do I. And I bet he likes you back just as much." Syaoron agreed; liking the expression Hana had on her face. "But right now, we should get you back inside the car and let you get some rest." As he was starting to get up; he and Yuui was held down by Hana who grabbed their arms and keeping them down. "Uh...Hana?"

"Hana, is something wrong?" Yuui raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Look." Hana pointed upwards.

A flash of red appeared across the beach and towards the moon. It exploded into a flower of red sparks. Then a yellow one followed, along a blue, a green, a purple and then white bits of lights. It became a assortment of color and light.

Yuui stared up with amazement and wonderment. He felt someone hugging him behind. He turned his head to find Syaoron looking up at the sky as well. He chuckled before placing his hands on top of the boy's arms; pulling him close.

"Hey guys! It's starting!"

Out of the car was the whole gang. They ran to the beach, right next to the trio; staring at the brighten sky above, cheering and shouting in glee. Takamoto found Hana sitting at the sand with eyes shining at the fireworks. Smiling softly, he went next to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. He was a bit shocked to have the girl brightly smile at him. He smiled back with a chuckle of his own.

* * *

><p>"Is everything packed?"<p>

Yuui shoved some luggage in the back. "Yep." He closed the door with a sigh. "That's everything." He looked at the beach house with calm eyes. Time had come and gone. It was their last day at the beach and it was time to go. It was fun while it lasted. There had been laughs and enjoyment for the most part. Apart from the bump between him and Syaoronl he had a pretty good time. The same can be said for the rest of the gang. Doumeki and Watanuki had their time together as well. Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo had become quite the trio. Even Takamoto and Hana were warming up to each other now.

All in all, a summer break he'll never forget.

With a small backpack over his shoulder, Syaoron smiled. "We got to get moving then if we want to get back before tomorrow night. Hey, do you think we can hang out on a resturant for a bit? You know, like a last meal with the group?"

"Sure." Yuui nodded. 'I don't see why not." He was glad that he had a good time. But he was excited for what's to come. The night before, he got a text from Yuuko-sensei, telling him that Fai and Kurogane were coming back. He didn't know when but he wanted to be home when that happens. Plus, Tomoyo and Takamoto have other trips to be attending to so, it was inevitable either way.

"Okay then." Syaoron grunted. "Shall we call the others?"

"Very well." Yuui shrugged. "Hey guys! Let's go! We got to get going!" He waited a couple seconds for the gang to come out. Suddenly he saw Sakura running out of the house and towards the car. He frowned when he saw the girl's expression. She looked distressed and upset about something.

Syaoron saw it too. He looked just as confused.

"Y-Yuui! Syaoron!" Sakura called out. She was panting and panicking. Her clothes were disheveled by all the running and she looked like she was going to cry.

As she was near, Syaoron walked up to the girl. "Sakura!" He placed both his hands on the girl's shoulders before she ran into him. "Whoa! Sakura, easy." He smiled nervously.

Sakura looked up at the boy with teary eyes. "You guys have to come quick! It's an emergency!"

Yuui walked over the two. "What do you mean, Sakura? Exactly what happen?"

"It's Hana." Sakura cried out. "She's gone!"

* * *

><p>Takamoto was in a state of shock and shame. How could he have been so stupid? He should have watched Hana when she was going outside this morning but he didn't as he was busy packing. Now they were leaving and she still hadn't come back. He gritted his teeth angrily. <em>'Hana.' <em>He jolted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Watanuki smiling reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry. We'll find her." The blue-eyed teen stated. "Doumeki, Tomoyo and Syaoran are searching high and low around the beach for them. We just have to have faith, okay?"

The teen felt his anger deflate a bit. He sadly sighed. "Yeah..."

Yuui and Syaoron along with Sakura ran into the house.

"Takamoto." Syaoron went up to the other teen. "I heard about Hana. I'll do whatever I can to help, okay?"

"I will as well." Yuui firmly stated. "Do you know where she would have gone?"

"I-I-I don't know." Takamoto quivered a bit. "All I know she was there and now she's not. And with her condition..." His head fell into his hands.

"..." Yuui glanced at Sakura and Watanuki. "Did you call the local police?"

"I have." Watanuki raised his hand. "They said if they see Hana, they will escort her back here."

"Good, you and Sakura will stay here with Takamoto for the time being." Yuui instructed. "Syaoron and I will join the searching party. Call us if she comes back before we do."

"Yes, sir."

"Come Syaoron." With his cell phone, Yuui walked out of the house. "We have a little girl to find."

Slightly blushing at the authoritative stand that Yuui was taking, the boy nodded. "O-Okay." He ran after him; leaving a distressed teen with his friends.

* * *

><p>Hana was running as fast as she could back to the beach house. She couldn't believe how late she was. It was only a walk. She was bored and she wanted to walk around the area since it was the last day. She felt a bit under the weather so she laid under a tree that was creating a huge shade. She rested a bit but lost track of time. Now she's racing against time to get back before anyone notice she was gone.<p>

As she was near a street, she knelled down to catch her breath. She wasn't used to running so much. She was usually careful not to overdo it. She rubbed the sweat off her forehead. _'I have to go back. Everyone will leave. Takamoto will be worried.' _With a bit of determination, she stood up and started to walk across the street.

Only to stop dead when a loud sound of a horn reached her ears.

* * *

><p><em>Around the same time<em>

"It's weird." Syaoron commented as they were heading back. They went as far as the big tree and still haven't seen the girl. They decided to go back and try the other side and join the rest of the party. "Hana doesn't seem like the type of person to just disappear like that."

"Yeah." Yuui nodded. "I guess she just wanted a few minutes to herself before leaving. She knew that we may not see those two again. But, what do I know." He chuckled.

"In any case, we have to go back." Syaoron shook his head. "I haven't been in this situation in a long time." His thoughts came back to the time his father was killed. He was separated from him and by the time he found him...it was too late. He didn't want Takamoto to go through the same.

Yuui glanced in concern. He felt a bit sorry for the boy but he knew pity is the last thing he wanted. So he opted for a bit of comfort and patted the boy's head. "We'll find her. I'm sure of it." He glanced over and the hand dropped in shock. "S-Syaoron! Look! Over there!"

The boy followed Yuui's train of sight and blinked. "Hana!" He smiled in relief. "Come on, Yuui. We have to catch her!" He started to run.

"Right." With Yuui following.

The two made it to a street, they saw that Hana walking into it. They almost got a several feet away when a sound of a horn reached their ears. They stopped and saw that a truck was rushing down the road. It was two ton truck that was blazing its horn as it was speeding a bit too fast for it to be normal. Then they saw Hana.

The poor girl was frozen stiff in the middle of the road. Like a deer in headlights.

"Oh crap, Hana's going to get creamed!" Syaoron was panicking on the inside. His instincts kicked as he started to run towards the middle of the road to get her out of there.

Only then did he realize that Yuui beat him to the punch.

The boy stood there in shock as he watched that single moment in slow motion. In just one moment, he thought he heard someone scream...until he realized the one screaming was him.

"Yuui!"

* * *

><p><em>'I can't move. I can't move. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Takamoto...I'm sorry.' <em>Was what went through Hana's head when that truck was rearing in on her. It was just like that last time, only she won't make out of it alive. She closed her eyes to brace for impact and pain.

But it didn't came.

"Hana!" Yuui screamed as he got close to her. He didn't see her reaction as he wrapped his arms around her and pushed themselves away from the truck. With Hana in his arms, Yuui ducked and rolled onto the other side of the street. They got into the grass just as the truck passed through and went on its way.

Scared out of his wits, Yuui move up and was relived to see Hana unharmed. "Oh god...oh my god. Thank goodness." He smiled down at the girl. "Hana. Hana, wake up."

The girl slowly opened her eyes. She then was hit with nostalgia as she looked up.

_"Thank goodness!" Takamoto sighed greatly in relief. His face was shining among the sun and his eyes were deep and clear that she almost saw the ocean in them. She can stare at them forever. "Are you okay? Miss? Miss?"_

"Miss? Hana?" Yuui looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you okay? You seem dazed." He then blinked in surprise as he heard giggling from her.

"Sorry." Hana smiled. "I just remembering something."

* * *

><p>"Never do that again!" Syaoron shouted as they were near the beach house. "As heroic as it was, <em>never<em> do that again!" He had Hana on his back; carrying her as Yuui was walking besides them; he had bruises on his arms and shoulder. He must have hit pavement before rolling onto the grass. After it was over, it took all of Syaoron's control not to run over and punch Yuui upside the head.

"Yes, yes. I heard you the first time around." Yuui rubbed his shoulder and winced a bit. "Just be glad that we didn't see a friends get squashed but a vehicle." He glanced at Hana who was sound asleep on Syaoron's back. "Poor thing was exhausted. But she was braver then any girl I have ever seen."

The boy chuckled softly. "Don't diss Sakura and Tomoyo; those girls can get feisty if you push their buttons." He yawned. "God, what a day. Sorry, Yuui. Guess we have to stay another day before going back." By the time they contacted about the safety and retrieval of Hana; everyone else was back at the house completely tired. And since Yuui was slightly injured, the plans to come home or to go anywhere else are put off for an extra day.

"That's fine." Yuui smiled. "Seriousness aside, it was quite...invigorating." He pumped his arms around. "Like having a surge of adrenaline. I haven't felt that way in a long time." As reckless as it was, it did feel great. It was the aftermath was what he can do without. "But in a way...Hana will get to hang out with us a little while longer."

"True." Syaoron sighed. "And also means I get to spend time with you some more." He grinned.

"Down boy." Yuui joked.

As they were at the front of the house, the two males looked at each other with matching grins.

"What a trip; wasn't it?" Syaoron asked.

"Quite." Yuui answered as if he was at a dinner party. "I bet brother will have earful when he and Kurogane comes back. They won't even believe it anyway." He got out a key and unlocked the door. "It'll be weird going back. And it might feel even worse going back to school."

"Everything changes." Syaoron retorted. "Nothing can change back even if one would want it. But as long as you accept the changes then it isn't so bad." He then felt a gently flick on a finger on his head.

"While you are right, I can't help but feel like that it was directed at me or rather, _us_." Yuui chuckled; feeling the warm feeling inside of his heart.

"Who knows Yuui." Syaoron snickered. "Who knows."

With a click of the lock, the door opened. Along with Hana, they entered inside; hoping to get some peace and quiet, if only for a few minutes.

* * *

><p><em>'Note to self, take Tomoyo's camera and get a copy of those pictures...and delete a few. No point in causing a commotion before school starts again.'<em>

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>THE END OF THE SUMMER ARC. FINALLY!<strong>

**THERE LEIA! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY**

**XD**

[ Also, after this, is the interlude where _you know who_ are coming back and then another arc starts. Not sure how many chapters this whole story will be but hopefully it wouldn't be too long. Fingers crossed.]


End file.
